- For the Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan Executive Summary click HERE
- For the complete plan in detail click HERE
Introduced by Council Member Boyer and Co-sponsored by Council Members Morgan, Freeman, Hazouri, Wilson, White, Bowman, Crescimbeni, Ferraro, R. Gaffney & Becton:
RESOLUTION 2019-143-A
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE adoption of the CIty of jacksonville Pedestrian and bicycle master plan; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville has experienced an unacceptably high number of fatal and serious injury accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists, and each life lost or affected by injury on local roadways is a tragedy for the victim and their friends and family; and
WHEREAS, pedestrian and bicycling injuries also impose a financial burden on the city and reflect poorly on the image of the city as to pedestrian and bicycle safety, and it is essential for Jacksonville to change the perception of the city as an unwelcoming environment for walking and bicycling; and
WHEREAS, cities across the country compete for an increasingly mobile workforce, who specifically value quality of life, and the City Council recognizes that walkability and bike-friendliness are components of the overall quality of life that residents and new city transplants seek; and
WHEREAS, Jacksonville also has a
sizable population that is unable to drive due to age (22.4% of the population
is age 14 or less), or for whom the costs of driving are a significant economic
burden (17.8% of individuals live below the poverty line), and this means that
for many Jacksonville residents, walking and biking is a necessity rather than a
choice, especially when used in combination with transit; and
WHEREAS, in recent years the City of Jacksonville recognized that the city needed a roadmap to quickly and effectively close the gap between the potential for increased bicycling and walking in areas of the city and the reality of an inconvenient, unattractive and sometimes unsafe environment for bicycling and walking today, and further desired to reduce the numbers of pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities occurring in Jacksonville; and
WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville funded the preparation of a study which resulted in a written document entitled “City of Jacksonville Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan,” (the “Master Plan”) prepared and completed by Toole Design Group and presented to the City’s Planning and Development Department in late 2017; and
WHEREAS, the Master Plan developed a prioritized network of recommended bicycle facilities for public roads within the city; and
WHEREAS, in addition to establishing guidelines for evaluation and prioritization of bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout the city, the Master Plan identifies four Statement Projects that capture the essence of the Master Plan; each of these projects have already been included in the City’s adopted Capital Improvement Plan and partially or fully funded, with full funding programmed; and
WHEREAS, the Soutel Drive Road Diet was included in the Fiscal Year 2018/2019 adopted Capital Improvement Plan with half of the required funding provided in fiscal year 2018/2019 and the remainder programmed for Fiscal Year 2019/2020; and
WHEREAS, the Phoenix neighborhood
Systematic Neighborhood Action Plan for Pedestrians (“SNAPP”) project was fully
funded in the 2018/2019 adopted Capital Improvement Plan; and
WHEREAS, the accelerated installation of the prioritized list of RRFB’s (signalized pedestrian crossings) was accomplished by not only providing $250,000 of funding in the Fiscal Year 2016/2017 Capital Improvement Plan; $300,000 in the Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Capital Improvement Plan and $250,000 in the Fiscal Year 2018/2019 Capital Improvement Plan, but accelerated by an additional appropriation of $250,000 pursuant to Ordinance 2018-189-E; and
WHEREAS, waterfront trail development, specifically a waterfront trail loop on the Southbank to connect to the terminus of the Fuller Warren Multi-use Bridge as well as enhancement of the Northbank Riverwalk connections, have been included in the adopted Capital Improvement Plan, with several elements funded for construction this year and other elements in design; and
WHEREAS, further,the methodology for evaluation and prioritization included in the Master Plan was fully integrated into the work of the Mobility Plan Update Working Group; and
WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee voted unanimously on February 14, 2019 to approve the Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Council supports adoption and implementation of the Master Plan by the City and desires to formally show its support herein; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:
Section
1. Council Support. The City Council hereby
supports adoption of the City of Jacksonville Pedestrian and Bicycle Master
Plan, a copy of which is On File with Legislative Services, and encourages
the continued implementation of recommendations within the City of Jacksonville
Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan.
Section 2. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective upon signature by the Mayor or upon becoming effective without the Mayor’s signature.
Form Approved:
__/s/ Paige Hobbs Johnston
Office of General Counsel
Legislation Prepared By: Paige H. Johnston
2019‑143‑A (1).doc
