With the goals of pedestrian safety and improved traffic flow in mind, the city launched a trial traffic pattern near Westside Recreation Center on Sunday.
The City of Gainesville Public Works Department cut the number of traffic lanes from four to two. The changes affect Northwest Eighth Avenue from Northwest 23rd Street to Northwest 31st Drive.
John Veilleux, the project’s manager, said the experiment kicks off a four-month trial period through the Fall which includes adding on-street bike lanes between Northwest 23rd Street and Northwest 31st Drive. The information gathered from the trial period will inform city commission discussion about whether to make the change permanent.
“We are trying to make the right decision and try to give everyone’s opinions consideration,” Veilleux said. “There are a lot of school zones in the northwest, and we want to be careful and not jump into a decision. We want to make a safe corridor along Eighth Avenue.”
Last year, Veilleux said, workshops previewing the project drew mixed feedback.
If Eighth Avenue’s evaluation is successful, the reconstruction of Northwest Eighth Avenue is scheduled to start in 2015.
Some residents are continuing to express concern about the reconstruction project. Alan Taylor, a local bicyclist, said changes other than altering traffic lanes are in order, such as addressing speeding.
“I’m not keen on being on the road with cars because of the way they drive,” Taylor said. “They need to offer an artery for bicyclists,” Taylor said. “The bike lane is a short stretch and starts only in the test section. What good are bicycle lanes for the test stretch when there are none east or west of the test section?”
In an email to the Gainesville City Commission, resident Stephen Figueroa said narrowing the road is a poor choice, and he questioned the effectiveness of the trial.
“It’s ... hard to see why a test is being done in the quiet summer rather than the busier school year, especially since the changes impact a school zone,” Figueroa wrote.
Barricades along Northwest Eighth Avenue designated a new traffic pattern the city introduced Sunday as a trial to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.
