Guest Series: Carmen Godwin

[cline]

No negative outbursts or aggression from any motorists after having used the strip of road on Riverside Avenue with the sharrows... "yet". I'm shocked at how big of an issue this is for so many citizens and how there's no common ground on the matter. I saw the report Channel 4 did with Tarik Minor, where he intereviewed 2 young motorists, and not 1 individual bicyclist, like Carmen Godwin for one. How CAN we, or rather, will we ever be able to, educate people on the matter? I hope it doesn't come down to something as drastic as an accident or with an intent to cause bodily harm like that mess on Roosevelt by FSCJ a few years ago, again.

I'd like to start a new thread on this website that would be specifically about sharrows.  We need more sharrows in this city, and we need motorists as well as bicyclists to know how they work. 

In the meantime here's a link to the website for the Jacksonville Bicycle Coalition:

http://jaxbikecoalition.org/

As someone who bikes on that section of Riverside Ave I am glad for the sharrows.  It can be a little sketchy biking that stretch with the traffic.  Hopefully the sharrows will get motorists to be a little more alert to bicyclists....hopefully.

[Dashing Dan]

My pre-sharrow route was to take the Northbank Riverwalk to Fuller Warren, then over to Riverside beneath the Fuller Warren overpass, down the sidewalk to the crosswalk at Riverside Park Drive (Fisk St), across Riverside at the cross walk, and then on to Oak Street via May Street and Post Street. 

I’m willing to put myself out there in the new sharrow lanes for the sake of educating the motorists who use Riverside Ave, but I think I would still feel safer on my old pre-sharrow route.

[deathstar]

@Dashing Dan Please start a topic, it will be interesting to see what everyone thinks about the idea of sharrows.

@cline I used it again this morning with a friend, we both biked from Memorial Park all the way down Riverside Avenue to the Riverwalk. On our way back, we took the Acosta to Water Street then to Riverside Avenue overpass, then kept on until we got to Post and then took Herschel back home. Motorists actually kept a steady speed along side us as we tried to match their speed without trying to slow them down.

[Dashing Dan]

@Dashing Dan Please start a topic, it will be interesting to see what everyone thinks about the idea of sharrows.

@cline I used it again this morning with a friend, we both biked from Memorial Park all the way down Riverside Avenue to the Riverwalk. On our way back, we took the Acosta to Water Street then to Riverside Avenue overpass, then kept on until we got to Post and then took Herschel back home. Motorists actually kept a steady speed along side us as we tried to match their speed without trying to slow them down.

done
See "Sharrows Can Make Jacksonville Safer for Cyclilsts"

[jaxlore]

dan I take a similar route, but its been a few months since ive got my lazy butt on the bike to work. will have to give the sharrow route a try if people are respectful of it. although i have to admit i would jump on the sidewalk on that strip from post the river walk.

[mtraininjax]

Carmen, saw you on your bike today, nice shades!

[kln1323]

https://www.facebook.com/#!/SupportTheShroom