These detractors couldn’t be more wrong. The Jacksonville Police and Fire departments have no reports of crimes or criminal activity that can be attributed to the path’s existence.

I’ve noticed a few things about the folks that don’t like having the Rails-to-Trail path around. They generally don’t live near the path. They’re generally over the age of 40. They’re generally not all that active. And, last, but definitely not least, they’ve never ever been on it.

These folks also fail to realize that the Rails-to-Trail path makes the surrounding areas safer by opening an old abandoned railroad right of way to public access. The more folks that use the path for transportation and exercise, the less likely shady people are to use it.

The Jacksonville Police Department could patrol the path more. Patrols by bicycle would reinforce the public trust in law enforcement and soften the image of the JPD.

But make no mistake: The Rails-to-Trail path is safe and the surrounding neighborhoods are safer for it. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong.

If you’re a commuter (whether by automobile, public transportation or bicycle), I recommend that you complete the survey and attend the workshop.

I also recommend that you keep your eye on the Jacksonville Urban-Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s website for news and information on transportation planning in the Jacksonville-Onslow County area.

AGENDA

JACKSONVILLE TRAILS & GREENWAYS COMMISSION

Monday, August 16, 2010 6:00 P.M.

Senior Center – Community Room

1. I. CALL TO ORDER – Introduction
2. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES – Approval of July’s meeting minutes

3. PRESENTATIONS – None

4. OLD BUSINESS –

   1. Update to the Hwy 24/Lejeune Trail

   2. Water Line Project Highway 17

   3. U-4007B Project

5. NEW BUSINESS –

   1. Trail Information Request from Jim Wheeler

   2. Update Goals & Objectives for FY 2011

6. REPORTS

7. ADJOURNMENT

Enclosures:  July 19, 2010 meeting minutes

Next Meeting Date:  September 20, 2010

The public is invited to participate.

More information on Jacksonville’s Trails and Greenways is available at the City of Jacksonville’s website.

Marine Sergeant Bryan Gullett, of MCAS New River’s VMMT-204 Osprey training squadron, told a Jacksonville Police officer investigating the accident that he saw Roberson as he was motoring down Western Blvd’s outside southbound lane.

And the next thing Gullett knew was that he’d run into Roberson.

Gullett has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and failure to maintain lane. The maximum punishment for misdemeanor death by vehicle is 60-days in jail, thanks to State Law 2009-528. The other charges are traffic violations and will result in fines for Gullett.

Gullett was scheduled to appear in Onslow County’s District Court today, but the hearing has been rescheduled for September 1st.

Gullett will likely serve less than the maximum time in jail. He’ll probably feel more punished by the financial loss from having to pay fines and court costs. But he’ll get to move on and continue living.

Roberson doesn’t get timely justice, much less the opportunity to move on with his life.

I’ve ridden the Day-Tripper to work three days this week. That made the most mileage in a week (95 miles) for my entire 2010…Oh, how different this year is to last…

I had a job interview in June…Still with Camp Lejeune’s IPAC, but a much better position. I missed out, though, and they selected someone else. Here’s to hoping for more opportunities.

I’m trying the WordPress for iOS app again. I’ve become frustrated with it’s lack of advanced functions, inability to save changes in posts and a strange new quirk: It’s refused to stay in a particular folder on the Home screen and jumps to a new page all by itself. It’s got a week…Then I’ll be done with it forever.

Other than this few hiccups, my life is pretty good. Hope the same can be said for you!

You can read the letter below or visit the Jacksonville Daily News’ version, but be sure to read McHugh’s column first. Disagree with my letter? Support it? Let me know in the comments here or at the Jacksonville Daily News.

Dear Editor,

I was quite entertained by Mike McHugh’s latest column in which he lamented the "high gasoline prices" in our area. In the column, McHugh complained that the $2.729 he paid for a gallon of gasoline in Swansboro holds him "over the proverbial barrel". In reality, it doesn’t.

McHugh has chosen to play a victim to the gasoline industry instead of taking responsibility for his actions and expenses. McHugh can choose to consume gasoline or not. He can choose to drive only when absolutely necessary. He can choose to walk to destinations within 2 miles and choose to bicycle for longer trips. He can choose to invest in a vehicle that is more fuel efficient. He can choose to utilize the available public transportation options (Onslow United Transit System and Jacksonville Transit). But McHugh chooses not to do these things. He chooses to make no changes to his lifestyle; instead, he chooses to be a victim.

But where McHugh really goes off the rails is in his attack on the gasoline industry for its pricing practices. He even comes close to making accusations of price gouging. McHugh is a big fan of the "free-market" movement, which dictates that industries don’t set prices, the buyers set them. If that’s the case, then why doesn’t he accept that the fair market value for a gallon of gasoline in Swansboro is $2.729? Or, better still, why isn’t he advocating that his friends and neighbors, and everyone else, consume less gas, which would drive prices down?

McHugh also follows the "least government is best" ideology, but then calls for increased government regulation of gasoline commodity trading and crude futures, as well as increased monitoring for gouging. Both would require additional government authority and manpower.

I agree that the gasoline and oil industries require additional regulation. The ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is proof that these companies haven’t been properly overseen in decades. But McHugh is a supporter of deregulation in nearly every other sector of American life. His recommendation for more regulation doesn’t follow his previous writings.

McHugh has a platform for his opinions that the average Onslow County citizen doesn’t. That he wastes that on a topic as tired and played out as gasoline prices is disappointing, especially when he contradicts his own ideological beliefs in the piece and recommends more government oversight instead of changing his own behavior.

So there’s been a lot of driving. And I’ve been in several nearly-accidents. Just today I was almost hit twice by the same car!

And the traffic…I’ve spent uncountable hours behind the wheel trapped in traffic to or from my office on Camp Lejeune. Traffic was so bad last Friday, I literally drove through a community on the opposite side of the base, across the county to a highway that doesn’t get near the main exit and got to AM’s office before some co-workers were off base.

And we’ll not even discuss the return of bad habits or weight gain.

But I can definitely tell that the driving instead of riding has had emotional impacts. I’m generally in much grumpier moods, at work and at home. I’m more prone to shouting (especially in the car). And drive-throughs are much more tempting from a bucket seat than a bicycle saddle.

I’ve been in Commuter Hell since October and it’s time for a return to the bicycle…And sunshine…And happier days.

Tomorrow is National Bike to Work Day I’ll be bicycling the drive.

I recommend and ask that anyone interested in expanding Jacksonville’s trails and greenways and making our community more accessible to bicycle and pedestrian traffic attend the Commission’s meetings and speak up.

The proposed agenda is below.

I.​ CALL TO ORDER – Introduction

II. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES – Approval of February’s meeting minutes and review and approval of March’s and April’s meeting notes (there was no quorum for March’s and April’s meeting).

III. PRESENTATIONS – None

IV. OLD BUSINESS –
• Prioritized List of Proposed Trails
• Update to the Hwy 24/Lejeune Trail
• Water Line Project Highway 17
​
V. NEW BUSINESS –
• Expiring Terms
• Elections for 2010-2011 Chair & Vice-Chair

VI. REPORTS

VII. ADJOURNMENT

It’s a new year. And that means new goals. Many of my goals are the same as last year…Goals that I’ve failed at achieving. But, we never let failure stop us from trying to succeed. We’d really never get anything done if we did!

There’s a number of things I want to do this year.

Writing: I want to start writing more and better. 2009 saw me get hired on as one of the parent-bloggers for Onslow Memorial Hospital’s Mom-Talk blogging network. I’m hoping that will continue through 2010 and flourish into some new opportunities. New opportunities that include include publishing in magazines and other websites. I want to start and keep a journal. My goal is to write one non-blogging piece a month for submission to magazines. I’m focusing on publications that look for creative non-fiction like The Sun Magazine. If you know a similar magazine that’s looking for something new, please let me know.

Reading: I want to actually finish a book this year. I’ve read horribly little the last few years. I want to read some creative non-fiction to help build the writer I want to be…But I also want to read good fiction. My goal is to read one book a month. Starting this month with Jack Kerouac’s Town and Country. I’ve been reading off and on (mostly off…) for months. I’m looking for recommendations, so if you’ve got them, send them my way.

Photography: I want to start taking photos…Again. To that end: I’ll be taking a self-portrait a day. Today it’s with the iPhone (at left). Future self-portraits may be well-planned shots, others on-the-go. The idea is to get back into the habit of taking pictures. I also want to start using my Nikon D40 more. I want to take more photo-walks and maybe even take the camera along on some bicycle rides and commutes. My goal: Post weekly to the Photography blog. Post daily self-portraits there, here and on Twitter and Facebook.

Bicycling: I have been extremely lazy when it comes to bicycling since October. I want to get back into using the bicycle as my primary form of transportation. I also want to get back into blogging more about bicycling and working harder to advocate for the bicycle as a viable form of transportation in Jacksonville, NC. My goal:  250 miles ridden a month by bicycle.

Fitness/Weight-loss: I have completely failed at all previous attempts to get into better shape. This year, I hope to make real and lasting lifestyle changes to get back to a reasonable weight. My goal is to lose 25 pounds by May 2010. I can achieve this by making better food choices, exercising and bicycle commuting more. Tools like the Lose It, 100 Push Ups, 200 Sit-Ups and 200 Squat iPhone apps will help me. As will getting to the gym and not being a slave to sodas.

Activism and Issue Advocacy: I’ve been remiss in advocating for the issues that are important to me for some time. In 2010, I want to take a more active role in the world around me. That means making more time to research issues and contact the elected leaders that can influence them. More letters to the editor, more letters to elected leaders (local, state and national) and more work pushing the ideas and ideals that I believe. It also means a more active role in the City of Jacksonville Recreation and Parks and Trails and Greenways Commissions.

So. Those are some of my goals this year. What are yours?

So, as I’ve been driving to my office aboard Camp Lejeune, I’ve spent plenty of time in stop-and-go traffic. This has afforded me to observe bicyclists’ behavior from the car. Coincidentally, I was listening to this NPR story about road rage against bicyclists in California when I witnessed the most egregious act I’ve seen committed on a bicycle. Can you pick it from the list below? (I’ll put the answer after a jump below).

I’ve seen the following violations of good bicycling behavior (not to mention common sense)  in the last week:

• Bike-Salmon – Riding against the flow of traffic. Bicycles are vehicles, for all intents and purposes. That means we should be riding on the right side of the road, with the flow of traffic. Usually it’s a day-worker or some other fellow without lights, which makes it even worse.
• Splitting traffic – Witnessed last week. A rather dapper looking fellow in full racing kit on a very nice looking powder blue bicycle with silver fenders traveled almost the entire length of Brewster Blvd on Camp Lejeune between two lanes of stopped car traffic.
• Running traffic lights/signs – Same guy that was splitting traffic. He’s a repeat offender, too. I’ve seen him cruise through traffic lights at the intersection of Gum Branch / Bell Fork and Hwy 17/Marine Blvd. I’ve also seen him run the stop sign at the crosswalk on Brewster Blvd to leave Camp Lejeune just to weave through two lanes of traffic to cross the street.

It’s depressing to me to see so many bicyclists, whether commuters, road-racers or whatever, breaking common-sense traffic laws. And, really, the only they reason they do it is because they can and they can generally get away with it.

It’s also frustrating to me. I work with two City of Jacksonville Commissions to make this community a better place to bicycle, yet, for every point I make to increase bicycling facilities and access, some jerk in spandex runs a traffic light and undoes all my effort by destroying good will towards bicyclists.

I’m asking all of you in the bicycle community…Pull your heads out of whatever orifices they’re jammed in and follow the traffic laws. Just by doing that, you’ll make the world just a little bit better.

It was the splitting traffic. I was completely shocked when I saw that dude. Especially since there was a completely unused bicycle path just to the right of the roadway.