Letter: We are mobility

Nancy E. Shaver, Mayor
City of St Augustine, FL

“We in St. Augustine do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”
-paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson

The City is ready, with your participation, to kick off mobility in a big way. What does that mean? It means that for the first time we are committed to an actionable and comprehensive plan to solving congestion, and to make getting around – whether it’s on foot, on a bike, or in any variety of vehicle – easier and safer for everyone.

So how does that happen?

We will continue with “quick wins”.

We are already working on:

• Managing events to reduce congestion impact
• Negotiating with the Coast Guard for fewer bridge openings
• Reducing cut-through traffic in Nelmar Terrace and Davis Shores
• Planning Remote parking for 4th of July and Nights of Lights
• Improving traffic light timing with FDOT
• Better pedestrian safety for Anastasia Boulevard
• Improved truck loading zone management
• Piloting one-way streets
• City-wide residential parking permits
• Piloting pedestrian-only access along Hypolita

As you can see, many of these wins are about neighborhood safety and livability and can be accomplished in the short-term.

I’ve received the very good suggestion of ensuring citizen participation using our Neighborhood Associations. I’ve shared this idea with City staff, and I know you’ll be hearing more about it. The two-way communication with our Neighborhood Associations is always a vital engine for our City Commission, but it is particularly important with this issue.

Next, there are other ways you can share your thoughts. Everyone that cares about this issue needs to make time to share their solutions and suggestions. Thank you to those who have already sent hundreds of ideas – our mobility group is actively considering them.

On Thursday, June 9th you’ll have a great opportunity to weigh in by attending our mobility kick-off OPEN HOUSE in the Alcazar Room in City Hall. You can drop in at any time from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. What is this open house about? It’s a chance for you to meet directly with the engineers, planners, and members of the consulting team to share comments and concerns, and find out about what kinds of solutions might be part of solving our mobility challenge.

Of course, you may continue to send your ideas and comments to our Mobility Coordinator, Xavier Pellicer at xpellicer@citystaug.com, or to me at nshaver@citystaug.com.

We’ll all need to be flexible as we make progress over the next year on this major effort. We are excited to be taking these first steps to making it easier to enjoy our lively City. We are confident that we will adjust plans as we hit “bumps in the road” and we will continue to make changes where it makes sense.

Thank you again for your continued participation and patience as we make progress.

I hope to see you at the OPEN HOUSE this week – my mobility plan will be to walk!