Very sad: Restaurant owner killed exercising...

[heights unknown]

it's a tragedy.  Mr. Jones (JJ) and his wife owned the Genesis Cafe on Old Kings Rd (near Baymeadows intersection).  they had a catering business too.  some of the best food around.  he and his wife would travel around to different parts of the country to taste the cooking and learn how to cook it and bring it back to their little cafe.  great stuff.  just a very pleasant man.  unfortunately, he was killed today crossing Atlantic Blvd.  it is my understanding that he was told by his doc to start exercising more and so had started biking.  from the report, it looks like he tried to cross while he had a red light and didn't see the truck coming.  a tragedy nonetheless.  go here, read the story and then read the comments. 

http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/07/24/bicyclist-seriously-injured-in-collision-with-truck/

there really is a lot of hate in this town against those who are pedestrians, cyclist and scooter/motorcycle riders.  my wife and i talked today, seriously for the first time, about moving to somewhere safer (crime-wise), slower and more pedestrian/bike-friendly.  the report that came out not too long ago about jax being one of the worst bike-friendly cities in the nation was one thing.  the daily honks and aggression we get from rude, impatient, unforgiving motorists is one thing.  but this may be for us the straw that broke the camel's back.  even though it looks like it may have been his accidental fault in this case.  if nothing else, it has concreted in my mind that the city has ZERO priority for bike lanes.   just like the letter-writer to the T-U who recently visited Tenn said...maybe ya'll can have Jacksonville ("ya'll" being the murdering thugs and backwards, angry rednecks).

"Driven;"

I am too saddened by this news; and I am not taking sides but please try and understand my position; but if I am riding a bike, and the crosswalk signal portrays a steady red hand which indicates not to cross, I won't cross, and believe me if I do cross when the crosswalk signal says stay put, I am going to look both ways not once, but at least three or four times.  It appears the Cyclist may have been tired and confused or maybe just didn't see the truck coming (which had a green light).  I don't think or even believe that this is a case of an angry trucker just barreling through to hit a cyclist intentionally.  My recommendation to you and your beautiful family is to relax, take a deep breath, stay put, and enjoy Jacksonville.  This was a blatant accident in which the poor Cyclist made a mistake, and the trucker may have tried to stop but couldn't stop in time; remember, trucks are large and it takes a while for them to brake to a complete stop.  Jax is not that bad, it is bad mind you, but it is not a City of ferocious road rage car and truck drivers foaming at the mouth and ready to barrel over every pedestrian or cyclist they see.

Heights Unknown

[Driven1]

stephen's #2 above is key.  that is the point.  they really do.  too many have the mindset of chipwich...

regularly go out of their way to be rude to the point of life endangerment.

and, for many, you would never believe it until you get out there and try to ride a bike.  it will make you a believer real fast.  i consider myself lucky as i've only had beer bottles, flip-flops and trash thrown at me - and that i have not been hit yet.

[uptowngirl]

Stephen is right, go to jacksonville.com and search on bicyclist hit, or bicyclist killed...you will get pages of hits. Now go skim through those hits, about 94% are NOT the bicyclist's fault. Are there worthless bikers out there, oh yes. But the number of worthless drivers exceeds this by the thousands. How many drivers do you see doing stupid stuff like racing or cutting off others to pass for that one car length lead? Tailgating at 70mph's, talking on the phone, reading, eating, doing make up, and don't even get me started on how many people don't understand what it means when they have a merge sign. Blinkers? A lot of drivers can not even tell you where the blinker is on their car....this is all from my experience of DRIVING in my car around this city.

Instead of hating bicyclist, drivers should be ticked off at the city for not providing bike lanes. Instead of worry about the minority of bicyclists out there, their anger would be better spent spewing venom at the majority of dumb A$$ drivers on the road, who cause way more accidents and slow downs than any bicyclists.

[chipwich]

Now don't even get me started on the assholes who feel it is their god given right to use car lans for walking when there is a perfectly fine sidewalk available next to the road.  They can just go to hell.  I won't give them 3 ft or any room for that matter.  They can just get run over for all I care. 

chip, i've never met you, but i can picture you.  you have a larger frame and really don't get outdoors that much.  you had one too many chocolate "chipwiches" long ago.  your weight issues have vexed you for some time now.  to the point that you have almost given up hope.  you've pretty much accepted this "bigger" you as the new you and there is no turning back.  you actually could turn back chip.  you just have to exercise regularly and eat right.  and be consistent.  those three things chip. 

listen, the reason that many people run (i don't see any walk) on the pavement instead of the concrete sidewalk is that the rubber in asphalt "gives" more than concrete does.  meaning it is better on the knees of the runner. 

there are so many things like this that if some people actually had an active lifestyle and took care of their bodies, they would find this stuff out on their own through experience.

i had an acquaintance (she was about 24) that was killed on Sunbeam Rd by a motorist about 5 years ago.  i think she was actually running on the sidewalk though.  i wonder if it was you that hit her?  if not you, it was probably someone with the exact same mentality and hatred towards those who are more active than you.

it all comes down to the kindergarten lesson (that you and so many like you in this town missed)... sharing.

I actually am quite healthy.  I jog very regularly using the sidewalk.  I am not against cyclists or joggers, or any athelte for that matter.  I think it great that people want to go out and be healthy.  I do not want to see a single person injured as a result of being hit by a car or a careless driver.  I do not drive like it's the end of the world, nor am I gunning for people on the street.  I really really pray that I never run over a single person in my life.  No rational person wants to injury anyone using their car. 

But I think it is common sense for people to stay of of the road.  Many drivers just aren't paying that much attention to the road these days.  When I see a story of someone who got run over in the middle of the road while not crossing the street, I think to myself "well they shouldn't have been in the road in the first place".  The driver of the car shouldn't have to factor in pedestrians when driving on a straight road with no cross-walks. It is the same reason we have J-walking laws. At this time, car lanes are not designed to be shared with other types of transportation.  That's a fact.  People trying to jockey for position on the road is simply non-sense and dangerous in my opinion.

I could care less that asphalt is better for my knees when jogging.  I have seen way too many careless drivers out there for me to even remotely want to risk my life or the lives of motorists just to jog on the asphalt. 

I fully advocate the city build more bike lanes and even more jogging lanes if need be.  Give cyclists and athletes a safe place to ride and jog.  Heck, I propose the lanes be even wider than the narrow lanes the city is now building.  Uptowngirl is right, people should be mad at the city for not factoring in these types of uses into the road.  I definitely would not mind paying slightly more tax to help provide these extra lanes that would benefit everyone on the road. 

[JaxByDefault]

Normal road lanes are for cars.

Sorry, chipwich, but this simply is not true. This is also a misconception that kept popping up on the TU comments.

According to Florida state law, bicycles have every right to ride on the roads, except interstates and other controlled-access highways, as long as they follow all bicycle regulations.

Every person propelling a vehicle by human power has all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle under this chapter.... Fla. Stat. 316.2065(1)

It would behoove everyone, including cyclists, to read the entire bicycle regulation section of the State Uniform Traffic Control law. Bad cyclists who do not obey the law make it more dangerous for good cyclists. Good or bad, though, no cyclist deserves to be killed by a motor vehicle.

You can read all of the bicycle regulations at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0316/SEC2065.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0316->Section%202065#0316.2065

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=140813

[downtownparks]

Bike Jax did a very touching piece on this accident.

http://bikejax.blogspot.com/2008/07/ghost-bike-for-johnny.html

[jbm32206]

Thanks for the link, it was indeed a nice article and I think it's cool that they placed the ghost bike there.

[Bike Jax]

I just finished an interview with Kyle Meean of WTLV. He was more than a little upset about the crosswalk situation I discovered and report on at Bike Jax

Look for a coverage during the 5:30 news on both ABC 25 and WTLV 12.

[downtownparks]

Very nice work BikeJax.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=115156&catid=15

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A First Coast News investigation is questioning whether a faulty crossing signal contributed to a bicyclist being struck and killed last week.

52-year old Chef and Restaurateur Johnny Leonard Jones died while riding his bike in St. Nicholas around 7:30 p.m. on the Wednesday, July 23rd. He was less than a mile from his home.

According to police reports, as Jones headed north across the nine lanes and two medians where Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard connect, he was hit by a truck heading west in the two northernmost lanes.

Witnesses say the truck's driver had the green light.

A "Ghost Bike" now stands on the north side of that road, just a few feet from the point where Jones was hit.

It is a bicycle painted completely white, chained to a pole with a sign memorializing Jones.

The memorial was placed by cycling enthusiast and bikejax.blogspot.com founder, Matt Uhrig.

"Bicyclists who have been killed on the streets. Just a little reminder to drivers that we're there," said Uhrig, who added he doesn't believe the crossing signal at that intersection offers pedestrians enough time to cross safely.

"The crossing light stays lit for a walk signal for a total of five seconds. Five seconds to clear 9 lanes of traffic and two medians! Impossible!" said Uhrig.

First Coast News cameras rolled as we punched the crossing button on the north side of the street. The red crossing hand went to white for exactly five seconds, and then blinked red for another fifteen seconds.

It gave us twenty seconds to cross all nine lanes safely.

Johnny Jones' neighbors told First Coast News he was a cautious bike rider, often riding several miles to his Genesis Café on Old Kings Road.

"And he was a very careful bike rider and he left riding his bicycle many times riding it all the way down to Genesis Cafe. That takes careful!" said neighbor and long-time friend, Ruthie Bretana.

First Coast News went back to the intersection Wednesday afternoon to try to retrace the path of Jones' final seconds. We discovered the crossing signal button on the south side of the road did not work.

We pushed the button every few seconds. We pushed it continuously. We pushed the button more than 40-times over a 5-1/2 minute time period and several cycles of the traffic lights from all directions.

The crossing signal never switched from the red, "STOP" signal, to the white sign indicating it was safe to cross.

Neighbor Ruthie Bretana believes Jones would have taken the safest route possible.

"He wouldn't just ride out in traffic. I'm sure he wouldn't!" said Bretana.

It is not known if the switch was working properly or if it was broken at that fateful moment Johnny Leonard Jones tried to cross the street.

It is not known if he pushed the crossing button attempting to use the cross signal to get across the nine lanes and two medians.

First Coast News called the Mayor's office about the non-working crossing sign button, asking for an interview with someone from the City's Public Works Department.

A spokesperson for the City told us she would find someone for us to talk to, but we never spoke with Public Works Officials.

About twenty minutes after hanging up with the Mayor's Office, a bright orange City Public Works maintenance truck pulled up to the intersection and a worker stepped out and began dismantling the broken switch.

When our camera approached and we asked about his work, the man replied, "You'll have to talk to the Mayor's Office!"

He then stopped working, spoke for a few minutes on his phone, and then our phone rang.

It was the Mayor's spokesperson, acknowledging that we were videotaping the repair in progress.

"I can only tell you that the matter is now under investigation and in the hands of the Office Of The General Counsel," she said.

Johnny Jones' widow, Cindy, said she had spoken with the family's lawyer since his death, but her concentration on this Wednesday was her deceased husband's viewing, and his funeral in the morning.

Matt Uhrig hopes his "Ghost Bike" is the last one he'll have to place on the First Coast.

"My heart goes out to his friends and his families for their loss," said Uhrig.

"A very dear neighbor he was. And we all love him in the neighborhood," said Bretana.
©2008 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Driven1]

A spokesperson for the City told us she would find someone for us to talk to, but we never spoke with Public Works Officials.

About twenty minutes after hanging up with the Mayor's Office, a bright orange City Public Works maintenance truck pulled up to the intersection and a worker stepped out and began dismantling the broken switch.

When our camera approached and we asked about his work, the man replied, "You'll have to talk to the Mayor's Office!"

He then stopped working, spoke for a few minutes on his phone, and then our phone rang.

It was the Mayor's spokesperson, acknowledging that we were videotaping the repair in progress.

"I can only tell you that the matter is now under investigation and in the hands of the Office Of The General Counsel," she said.

awesome news first coast news!!!!  wow.  now THAT is investigative journalism.  that is water in a dreary land!!

DTP - do you know who we can nominate them for an award?? 

[downtownparks]

AP might be a good place to start. They do regional awards for all sorts of things.

[thebrokenforum]

Bicycle-pickup accident leaves teen hospitalized

A Jacksonville bicyclist suffered life-threatening injuries Wednesday night when she was hit by a pickup on the Westside, police said.

The bicyclist, 16, was crossing Wilson Boulevard at Firestone Road about 9 p.m. The driver of the pickup said he didn't see the girl and hit her as he was turning, police detective Michael Knox said.

She was taken to Shands Jacksonville, Knox said. No other details were available Wednesday night.

Matt Coleman

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082808/met_323769859.shtml

[cayohueso]

I am from Jacksonville. Born in Riverside Hospital...now the produce section of the Riverside Publix. Cycling has always been fun for me. I enjoy doing it, like Jacksonville drivers enjoy being a-holes and loathesome to each other...you know, a civic pasttime. I rode for years in the 80s and 90s from Confederate Point through Lakeshore to Ortega and to downtown and back, usually every day job permitting. I had so many run-ins with drivers wanting to kill me just for being in their way for seconds. I was never a road biker. I always prefered to ride illegally on the sidewalk when possible via mountain bike. Drivers in Jax have always been violently hateful of bicycles. This is not a new concept, just a new generation of d-bags out there. I have had hamburgers, batteries, diapers, a two by four and a brick thrown at me over the years. Nothing hit because most of Jacksonville has never heard of this majic called "Physics 1101". I now live in Daytona Beach, ride everyday I can, and have NEVER had one of these Jacksonville related incidences in 7 years...not one. I still ride in Jacksonville when I visit, still love the city, but you know...I'm sorry, you can't defeat ignorance and douchebaggery. People like to hate for no reason. People like to take things out on people who they think can't strike back. People REALLY like to get their hate on when they see something they think is "weird". I don't have a solution. I just got beat down and tired of it all.

[Ocklawaha]

Blame it on Milligans and the COJ police/mayor... or Ralph Nader? 


The deadly "bean gun"...

A little history some of you "kids" might not know, I too am a rabid mountain biker (pavements as the gut won't take the rough anymore, LOL, besides my good bike was lost HERE, when I moved to Colombia). I used to cover 11 miles daily in Lake Mary-Altamonte, or in Oklahoma farm roads, when much younger I would ride from Ortega Forest to Ortega Hills, Yukon and NAS, all the time.

Back in the day Jacksonville had a local hamburger chain something like Krystals or White Castle, tiny burgers were 5 cents or 10 cents as I recall. The place was black and white striped and they extended throughout the metro to about Green Cove Springs. Locations-Locations and more Locations. Their distinct buildings, food and a huge "MILLIGANS" sign, somehow attracted the high school crowds. I'm talking circa mid-1960's. At the same time some inventor came up with the "BEAN GUN" one of the coolest toys in history. I was a copy of "your choice" of pistols, and you filled it with dry beans from the supermarket. A small spring sent the beans flying and you could shoot 50-100 shots per fill. The bean gun + Milligans became the fun zone that Jacksonville never really had for teens. Anyone a Milligans was a target, and it was open season on anybody from "the other school". The beans didn't hurt, just a mild smack.

But enter the Police, the do-good's and Duval County rule makers. Bean guns were a national defense threat, kids all over the city were laying in ditches moaning in pain from the loss of eyesight...etc...etc... Typical over-reactive BS. Soon ANYONE with a bean-gun was arrested, or threatened and forced to surrender. In fact I've never seen one again. I suspose the law is still on the books and possession would get you 5 years at Raiford.

This new situation stopped a friendly war right at it's climax, and something that would have died away as all fads do, became a rebellion. Now we'd go to Milligans and buy $10.00 worth of hamburgers and go toss them at the police, "the other school kids" or any other handy target. Most you would get was a littering ticket. Great trade off, and a whole generation learned how to hit a dime at 40 feet with a packaged hamburger!
Thus a Jacksonville institution was born, we were the "FREE BIRD GENERATION" and "Lords knows we'll NEVER change", "We can't change..."

OCKLAWAHA