http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100408/met_340084651.shtmlwell even though not a single word about our initial work and development was mentioned anywhere in this, its amazing to see the idea take shape into reality.
People strolling the sidewalk outnumber cars on the street.
The bustle of shoe leather and high heels is unusual for car-dependent Jacksonville, which has been ranked as one of the nation's most dangerous cities for walking.
Now city officials have targeted Laura Street as the place to showcase how a street can be designed so walkers come first, vehicles second.
A $2.3 million plan calls for widening Laura Street's sidewalks and removing obstacles on them. To slow down cars, the one-way street between Hemming Plaza and The Jacksonville Landing would be converted to two-way traffic with narrower lanes. A traffic roundabout would replace the signalized intersection where Laura Street meets Independent Drive in front of The Landing.
The ultimate goal is to attract more businesses to Laura Street because merchants will get more walk-in customers from downtown's workforce, said Paul Crawford, deputy executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
"The businesses that are already out there will thrive, and you'll get additional businesses because people will want to walk on walkable streets," Crawford said. "It's as simple as that. It's really setting the table for businesses and property-owners."
In Northeast Florida, St. Augustine's historic district regularly wins praise for being easy to travel by foot. AAA named St. Augustine one of North America's 10 most walkable cities in 2006.
Jacksonville landed on a different top 10 list in 2004, when the Surface Transportation Policy Project released a Mean Streets report ranking Jacksonville the eighth most dangerous city for pedestrians. The nonprofit organization, which advocates for spending on alternatives to more roads, said suburban areas with wide, high-speed streets are the distinguishing feature of cities that are dangerous for walking.
Crawford said downtown is sliced by suburban-style streets whose lanes are as wide as Southside Boulevard's.
The makeover won't be the first for Laura Street. Over the years, the city has installed features such as shade trees and brick pavers to make the street appealing to the eye. The JEDC plan would replace aging pavers and add metal "gateway" signs arching over Laura Street.
Valerie Corring, who works downtown, said she doesn't think there's a need for changes along Laura Street.
"I never find myself squeezed, but I come from New York City," she said while taking a break with co-workers on a Laura Street sidewalk.
"It's not Broadway or Fifth Avenue," added Marilyn Bentley, also a New York City transplant.
They agreed with Nicole Lundquist that they're more nervous about encountering an aggressive panhandler than an aggressive driver.
"If they want to spend $2 million, they could spend that helping the homeless get off the streets by educating them and getting them jobs," Lundquist said.
The plan for Laura Street still needs City Council approval. Crawford said the money would come from a city program for sidewalk construction and tree planting, combined with funds already earmarked for downtown projects. Construction could start in mid-2009 and wrap up in mid-2010.
In addition to Laura Street, the JEDC wants to convert other one-way streets to two-way traffic. Laura Street would be part of a "loop" of streets going by destinations such as The Landing, Hyatt Regency, Florida Theatre, the downtown library, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Hemming Plaza.
Benoit Desclefs, owner of the Magnificat Cafe at the corner of Laura and Monroe streets, said he'd like to see Jacksonville turn Laura Street into a traffic-free plaza. He said European cities have had great success with pedestrian plazas that attract shoppers and diners.
"It's very pleasurable," he said. "You can walk around and look from shop to shop. You have everything you need."
That's probably too big a change for Jacksonville, he said, but the JEDC proposal would be a step in the right direction.
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