Mobility and safety continue to be of some concern with residents, specifically pedestrian safety and biking safety. The ability to traverse Jacksonville Beach, whether it be north/south, east/west, or some combination, is not the easiest or sometimes safest. Combine that with sidewalks that are both fairly narrow and needing repair/improvement, and some improvements must be considered. An ambitious plan was kicked off back in September of 2021 by the Council at that time, which would effectively connect every neighborhood to a high-quality shared-use path network that would provide a safe, intuitive, and more comfortable way to walk, run, bike, or skate to the beach, parks, schools, shops, jobs, restaurants, and other destinations. Thus was born the Urban Trails project.
I know there are many opinions as it relates to this project. As I inherited this from the previous Council, I will say that I’m in favor of improving safety for pedestrians and bikes, no question. This project is quite ambitious, and while I think it can have some great benefits, I believe it needs to be viewed and tackled in sections or chunks, which could one day result in an overall connected plan that improves safety and mobility for pedestrians and bikes. I believe this could include the modification of proposed corridors or the elimination of some corridors if they simply don’t make sense. Also, the plan for trails must be flexible and adaptable to the specific neighborhood and area through which it passes. For instance, surfaces should be able to vary, such as asphalt, concrete, or some other more pervious solutions. Widths should be able to vary based on the specific application, from say 7’ up to 10’, and the same for other design components.
