Alachua County and Gainesville city officials are working to improve how residents can bike and walk throughout the region with a new countywide bicycle and pedestrian master plan. This plan is currently in its public input phase and seeking residents' comments.
This plan outlines a long-term vision for improving and expanding infrastructure including sidewalks, bike lanes and trail connections. Officials say the goal is to make biking and walking safer, more practical and more comfortable for people across the county.
Alison Moss, the transportation planning manager of Alachua County, said that the effort is intended to create a system that works for people of all ages and abilities. She wants it to be convenient whether they are using the network recreationally or commuting.
The planning process began with an analysis of the existing conditions across the county such as roadway characteristics, land use, safety data and current bike and pedestrian facilities. From there, planners developed a draft network that connects important areas such as neighborhoods and commercial areas.
That network was then refined through public input and additional analysis, said Jen Musselman, a planner who has been involved on the project. A major part of this project has been identifying what the planners call “gaps.”
Musselman said that gaps aren’t limited to areas where there is no sidewalk or bike lane at all, but also areas where the current infrastructure is uncomfortable or doesn’t feel safe for those who use it.
“Either there’s nothing there, or there’s something that’s not quite comfortable,” said Musselman.
Moss said this approach allows the planners to not only focus on the presence of the infrastructure, but also how usable it is for cyclists and pedestrians. Safety is one of the primary factors that are used to prioritize and evaluate projects. Moss also said the planners analyze crash data, particularly fatal and severe occurrences, to identify the areas that may need improvement.
She explained that high-volume and high-speed roads, like major collector streets, often present greater safety concerns due to the number of vehicles and potential for more serious incidents.
According to project materials, safety is one of the several key factors used to rank projects, along with goals like improving connectivity, supporting underserved communities and encouraging more people to use transit options like walking and biking.
Once the gaps are identified, planners determine what types of facilities would be the most appropriate for each location. Options for this include shared-use paths, buffered bike lanes or separated bike lanes, depending on the traffic speed and volume factors.
Projects are then scored and ranked on a combination of feasibility and community goals.
“Part of the score is, can the project actually happen?” Musselman said.
Feasibility considerations include whether there is enough physical space for construction, as well as potential conflicts with drainage systems, utilities and other infrastructure already in place.
Projects are also organized into different categories, Musselman said, including top projects countywide, long-distance connector routes and geographically specific lists for urban and rural areas. She said this structure allows planners to compare the projects that serve different purposes, such as regional trails versus neighborhood sidewalk improvement.
The county has identified a number of high-priority projects across these categories, including corridors such as Williston Road and University Avenue. Officials emphasize that the rankings are still subject to change.
Public input has been a key part of the planning process and continues to shape how the projects are prioritized. The county has hosted multiple open houses and public meetings, along with an online interactive map where residents can leave comments and input on certain routes.
Moss said the planners are particularly interested about which projects the public feels should be prioritized, such as those on routes around schools and areas that may feel unsafe biking or walking.
She said the locations of the events have been selected in order to reach a broader range of residents. While earlier meetings were held in Gainesville, a recent open house was held further outside the main urban area. The goal was to make participation more accessible to residents in different parts of the county.
Moss said early community feedback is critical to making sure that the plan shows what residents actually need.
“One thing we really wanted to avoid was getting to the 11th hour and people saying ‘You forgot this route.’”
As of now, the plan is largely unfunded. Moss said that the projects could eventually be funded through a combination of sources, including mobility fees from newer development, grant funding and federal transportation funding.
Implementation is likely to take place over time, Moss said, with the more feasible, and high priority projects moving forward first. The master plan is intended to serve as a long-term guide for improvements across the county and to make biking more comfortable, convenient and safer.
“This is a chance for people to weigh in on transportation in Alachua County,” Moss said. “It may be a long time before we do this again.”