Changes to Luminaries

[Know Growth]

Nooney and Know Growth never post at the same time...Clark Kent and Superman?

Batman & Robin  See the special parade float, giant inflated kayak & "Visit Jacksonville" banner. Parade hit. 

Seriously,I repeat here once again- consider closing key roadways to vehicular traffic ,allowing enhanced foot & cycle. Why not?

[mtraininjax]

I never understood why people wouldn't just prefer to walk or ride a bike anyway rather than sit in a noisy traffic jam.

Outsiders who live in their HOA gated bunkers, they never think to walk anywhere, because they can't.

[mtraininjax]

Should be nice weather for Luminaria Sunday, December 20. Expecting a High of 63 and Low of 38, with NO chance of rain.

Please remember to leave the marshmallows and hard candy at home, unless you like the JSO to give you yellow pieces of paper with fines on them. Leave your un-permitted trailers at home too, no need for those on this special night, but bring your camera, it should be a great night to walk through  the neighborhood.

[blfair]

The funny thing about the "un-permitted" trailers to me is that in my experience, getting a registration/tag for a trailer is pretty easy. The DMV will pretty much give you a trailer tag for anything, and it's cheap too.

The scariest (and simultaneously most awesome) thing I've seen in the past is the deuce and halfs, which can be totally street legal, or at least they can get tags... nothing like a 13k pound, 3 axle truck with a 3' high bumper going through a crowded street with antique headlights that barely light the road ahead of you.

[Overstreet]

The funny thing about the "un-permitted" trailers to me is that in my experience, getting a registration/tag for a trailer is pretty easy. The DMV will pretty much give you a trailer tag for anything, and it's cheap too.

Permitted or registered.  I think the problem is people riding in trailers not designed or permitted for such use.  Think as in St Aug tour trolleys and/or parade floats. Otherwise it is illegal in Florida to ride in a trailer towed on the roads.

[Know Growth]

Within a couple of years or so a portion of St Johns/Shoppes area will be closed to vehicular traffic. Walk,bike,mobility impaired will reign.
Enchanting.

[camarocane]

Within a couple of years or so a portion of St Johns/Shoppes area will be closed to vehicular traffic. Walk,bike,mobility impaired will reign.
Enchanting.

Why do you say that?

[dp8541]

Within a couple of years or so a portion of St Johns/Shoppes area will be closed to vehicular traffic. Walk,bike,mobility impaired will reign.
Enchanting.

I wouldn't mind both the Shoppes of Avondale and the San Marco Square both being cut off to vehicular traffic.  Don't see that happening anytime soon though.  Jacksonville could use a pedestrian only urban shopping area or two.

http://www.downtowncharlottesville.net/

http://www.churchstmarketplace.com/

[PeeJayEss]

Within a couple of years or so a portion of St Johns/Shoppes area will be closed to vehicular traffic. Walk,bike,mobility impaired will reign.
Enchanting.

I wouldn't mind both the Shoppes of Avondale and the San Marco Square both being cut off to vehicular traffic.  Don't see that happening anytime soon though.  Jacksonville could use a pedestrian only urban shopping area or two.

http://www.downtowncharlottesville.net/

http://www.churchstmarketplace.com/

I don't think there is enough around these areas to turn them into pedestrian-only areas. Where would you put all the cars? Further into residential areas? Pedestrian areas can work pretty well if they make up only part of an area that is surrounded by other mobility uses, particularly if the area is historic and originally designed without vehicles in mind. If you made basically the entire commercial area of San Marco and Avondale into ped-only, my guess is you would end up strangling them. And San Marco traffic would be even more of a zoo.

[PeeJayEss]

The bigger need is to make the stretch of Hendricks from Atlantic to Prudential more suited to pedestrian activity. With the upcoming changes to Riverplace, that deficiency will be all the more glaring.

I'm with you on this. I'd even go beyond Atlantic, but I'm sure that's a pretty hard sell as it gets into 4-5 lanes.

[acme54321]

I don't see the need for changes to San Marco Square as it is rather pedestrian friendly since the redesign. Now that the park area has been expanded, people actually hang around even if they are not visiting any of the shops. We walk to it almost on a daily basis and the majority of the time it is just to walk around or sit in the park. The difference in activity we witness (compared to pre- road diet) is staggering.

The bigger need is to make the stretch of Hendricks from Atlantic to Prudential more suited to pedestrian activity. With the upcoming changes to Riverplace, that deficiency will be all the more glaring.

Atlantic from the square to Kings Ave is also pretty sketch.  The sidewalk is almost in the roadway at points.

[Steve]

The bigger need is to make the stretch of Hendricks from Atlantic to Prudential more suited to pedestrian activity. With the upcoming changes to Riverplace, that deficiency will be all the more glaring.

And FDOT just redid that. I think they did a horrible job there - I think those are 12 foot lanes, which is ridiculous for any road that doesn't have an "I-" in front of it.

[Know Growth]

Within a couple of years or so a portion of St Johns/Shoppes area will be closed to vehicular traffic. Walk,bike,mobility impaired will reign.
Enchanting.

By the way, I was referring solely to Luminaries event......

[mtraininjax]

I wouldn't mind both the Shoppes of Avondale and the San Marco Square both being cut off to vehicular traffic.

Yeah, I hear you, it would be nice in Avondale, but the Ambulance and Safety folks would fight you tooth and nail, as St. Johns is a major thoroughfare to St. Vincent's for the Ambulances.

[cline]

I wouldn't mind both the Shoppes of Avondale and the San Marco Square both being cut off to vehicular traffic.

Yeah, I hear you, it would be nice in Avondale, but the Ambulance and Safety folks would fight you tooth and nail, as St. Johns is a major thoroughfare to St. Vincent's for the Ambulances.

I don't think it needs to be completely closed but there could be some additional features added to make it even more ped friendly. I would elevate all the crosswalks slightly and add additional stop for ped signs (the in-road signs). That would help to slow traffic since some people still insist on hauling ass through that stretch. Speed limit should be dropped. There's no reason for the stoplight at the ingleside intersection (and it has a funky offset) although I doubt it would ever be removed. I think it would be better to have a ped signal there.