Bloviations

The agenda for this month’s Trails and Greenways Commission meeting is here.

Notes and results follow:

The Commission unanimously approved the minutes for the December 08 meeting.

Mr. Chris Lukasina (administrator for the Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) provided a presentation on JUMPO’s efforts in transportation planning. He touched on the status of the Comprehensive Bicyclist and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, which is awaiting approval of the Onslow County Board of Commissioners and will then be reviewed by the regional and then state transportation planning officials. He detailed efforts in expanding public transportation by combining the efforts of Jacksonville Transit and Onslow United Transportation System. He also explained that the major thoroughfares in Jacksonville (Hwy 24/Lejeune Blvd, Hwy 17/Marine Blvd and Western Blvd) are state-maintained, which limits the ability of the City in planning and executing transportation plans (like building crosswalks, sidewalks and bicycle lanes).

Mr. Michael Wetzel answered some questions I emailed in January.

• Is it possible to remove the 2007 information on the Trails and
  Greenways Commission webpage and replace with something more current?
  • The City of Jacksonville is undergoing some changes to their web-presence. As part of that, Mr. Wetzel will work to establish a more user-friendly webpage for the Trails and Greenways Commission which will include a calendar, links to NCDOT documents and maps, etc)
• Is it possible to order/request copies of the NCDOT bicycling and pedestrian publications to distribute/make  available to cyclists and pedestrians?
  • Print editions are probably not available, but online versions can be linked from the new webpage.
• Is it possible to add the new Trails and Greenways map to NCDOT’s
  library? http://www.ncdot.org/it/gis/DataDistribution/BikeMaps/default.html
  • It is. Mr. Wetzel will research and coordinate.
• Has the Trails and Greenways Commission established a 2009 "agenda" or outline of goals and objectives?
  • The Trails and Greenways Commission is currently working on goals and objectives for 2009-2010.
• Is it possible/would it be beneficial to arrange a JUMPO presentation to detail transportation plans that may be of value or impact Trails and Greenways?
  • Mr. Lukasina provided a presentation during March 09’s meeting.
• What role does the Trails and Greenways Commission play in budgeting?
  • The Trails and Greenways Commission does not have a role in the City’s budgeting process. The only current action available is to express opinions on funding and requests through Councilwoman Fannie Coleman. Currently, the Recreation and Parks department receives $15,000 annually to fund Trails and Greenways projects ($10,000 for multi-use path repair and $5,000 for the annual race).

Mr. Wetzel then requested that Commission members provide a list of proposed goals and objectives for 2009-2010. My original list is available here, but below is the list I submitted:

• Provide more information on T&G webpage (links to NCDOT documents and CoJ transportation plans, events calendar and information, T&G agenda and minutes, maps, etc)
• Update the Urban Trails and Pedestrian Plan (Is there a map? Will the Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan replace the Urban Trails and Pedestrian Plan?)
• Advertise traffic rules (for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians) (G10, JDNews, webpage)
• Urge JPD to increase enforcement of traffic rules (for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians)
• Urge JPD to increase bicycle patrols (along paths and in general)
• Urge CoJ to implement the Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan
• Support the creation of a bicycling/pedestrian advocacy group (partner with DownEast Cyclists’ club?)
• Increase the number and variety of T&G-sponsored events (more foot/bike races, bike rodeos) (partner with local businesses/bases/advocacy groups)
• Work with CoJ and local businesses to have bicycle racks installed at major shopping areas (Target shopping center, Wal-Mart shopping centers, etc)
• Urge CoJ and Jacksonville Transit to acquire bicycle racks on all buses
• Urge OUTS to acquire bicycle racks on buses
• Sponsor bicycle safety classes (partner with local businesses/bases/advocacy groups)
• Sponsor bicycle maintenance / repair classes (partner with local businesses/bases/advocacy groups)

There was some discussion on how to better market the Trails and Greenways Commission. By far the best recommendation was to include a small card or flyer in City utility bills.

There was a positive letter to the editor of the Jacksonville Daily News regarding a weekend ride along the Rails-to-Trails path. Unfortunately the letter is not available online.

The Trails and Greenways Commission is required to report to the City Council on November 3rd, 2009. The report will contain the Commission’s goals and objectives as well as accomplishments during 2009.

It was a good meeting and was quite productive. Hopefully, this will become a trend.

March 22nd, 2009 | Tags: Activism, City of Jacksonville NC, City of Jacksonville Recreation and Parks Department, City of Jacksonville Trails and Greenways Commission, Fannie K. Coleman, Freedom ENC Communications, INC, Jacksonville Daily News, Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organizat, Jacksonville, NC, Rails-to-Trails | Category: Activism, City of Jacksonville NC, Fannie K. Coleman, Jacksonville City Council, Jacksonville Daily News, Jacksonville Transit, Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Org, Jacksonville, NC, Trails and Greenways Commission | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL