As a beach kid who started driving on Penman Road in 1978 and crossing Penman Road on foot or bike years before that, I can appreciate the need to make some improvements to this critical north/south artery through Jacksonville and Neptune Beach. Back in my youth, Penman was two lanes with no middle turning lane. If someone wanted to turn left, traffic stopped, period. With the widening and addition of the middle turn lane in the 1980s, Penman became much more traffic-friendly with left turns not impeding traffic flow. That solution has seemingly worked reasonably well over the years
Now, as populations and car trips have increased, the real deterrents are the stoplights (everyone has experienced the nightmare that Florida Blvd/Penman Rd backups can be), combined with pedestrian and bike safety in traveling and crossing Penman. Back in 2019, the collective Councils of Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach passed resolutions asking the City of Jacksonville (as this is a County Road) to evaluate and consider improvements to Penman Road to make it a “Complete Street.” The lighted/flashing pedestrian crosswalks we now have at 4th Avenue N and 15th Avenue N were a first, interim step in the safety improvements, as well as the COJ Council approving over $20 million for a study, design work, and subsequent construction. That’s where we are today, with now a second draft of a suggested plan from COJ.
I am in favor of improvements to Penman Road that will improve traffic flow and pedestrian/bike safety. Roundabouts may be one viable option in lieu of the traffic signals at Arden Way, Seagate Avenue, and Florida Blvd so that traffic slows down yet continues to move through these areas. I do not believe that center medians preventing left-hand turns provide much, if any, of an improved solution to the existing center turn lane, and backups on side streets to turn left onto Penman are generally minimal. Additionally, I remain concerned that eliminating a center turn lane will only impede important things like public safety vehicles, garbage collection, and delivery services, just to name a few, although the consultant study attempts to address this concern by eliminating ditches/swales and providing a stabilized shoulder that could be used for vehicles. Improvements are needed and welcomed from COJ, but the plan needs more work.