1-13-15 Handout - Michael Bruce ' ,lam,Olw,/^ Alogei mw'twcte~�
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December 30, 2014
Members of The()ceanwaik Association Board and
Elected Officials of the City of Aflantic Beach, FL
My name is Michael Thomas Bruce; my wife Rebecca S. Bruce and I have lived at 2313 Oceanforest Drive
West,Atlantic Breach, FL 32233 for the past 21 years.
We and many of our neighbors are adamantly opposed to the re-opening of Seminole Road to Hanna
Park in any fashion,vehicular or pedestrian, including hicydes.
We are opposed to an affirmative vote by the City Council to a Pilot Program,for reasons we will outline
below.
We urge our representatives on The Oceanwalk Association Board and our elected officials in Atlantic
Beach (including our neighbors,for whom we voted)to reject this Proposal, now and forever.
REASONS NOT �����0�
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1) Unintended Consequences
Hanna Park ingress/egress at the north end of Seminole Road has been closed for over two
decades. In that interim, hundreds of new homes have come on-line utilizing Seminole Road.
The trend continues with the new construction at Atlantic Beach Country Club(formerly Selva
Marina). A once croWded road is now more crowded and has becoming a busy local artery.Yet
Semino|eRoadison(ya2-bneskeet' narrswbycurreotstandards' andhas|)mitedbypao
options.We are very concerned for the safety of additional pedestrians and bicyclists that will
be forced to cohabit this long, limited access.As noted in the COAB Staff Report prepared
lZ.8I4'connecting Hanna Park toOn-and'Of Street Cycling Routes will potentially increase
bicycle traffic exponentially. Semino(eRoadmayeayi|ybecomea ^DestinadonRoute"for
national cycle clubs,and organized road races may proliferate. Simi|artotheAnnoai "26Jwith
Donna" Marathon, Oceanwalk in particular will be subject to barricades and restrictions to entry
and exiting our own neighborhood.Cycling is a pack-sport,it's a racing sport, and it's growing.
Opening Hanna Park,even in a Pilot Program, can have terrible safety,crime and traffic
consequences.This proposal May have the best of intentions yet yield the worst of
consequences.
2) Burden of Proof
The burden of proof must be on the sponsors of change, not on those of us who moved to this
idyllic,quiet,cul-de-sac of a residential community.We in Oceanwalk have a private access to
the beach (purchased and maintained by residents). During potential massive cycling events,we
can lose that access and calm. It is incumbent on those who want change to prove to us that are
content with the status quo the reasons this should be approved. We who purchased homes in
the[ityoyAt|onticBeoch (and0ceanwa|kparhcu|ady),shov|dnothaveourqw)etenjoyment
diminished for the benefit ofa few ent6udogs' and numerous non'redden$. Let the champions
likelihood
environmental,crime and safety conditions. Has anyone conducted a bona fide Traffic Study to
predict consequences, both short and long-term? If not,why not?Where is the proof this is a
beneficial idea for our City?Who actually benefits, how,and at what cost?
~
]) Spilled Milk
A Pilot Program will inevitably bring a mixed bag of results. Some may be positive some
negative, But a Pilot Program will be inconclusive,pro or con. However,it will be too late when a
cyclist is killed, a neighbor is murdered in their COAB home, crime rates soar, and we have to
increase police staffing to cope with this dramatic change.There are reasons the access was
closed decades ago,and those reasons remain valid. No test case can re-bottle spilled milk.The
City of Atlantic Beach considered a similar proposal at its May 28th, 1996 Commission Meeting,
mri/t|yfo,"Emergency^egness should Seminole Road and br MAYPORT Road become blocked.
Commissioner Meserve.suggested a pedestrian and bicycle passage at that time as well. Mayor
Fletcher wisely delayed any vote for Staff to work out the issues; and to allow the Navy Base,
Hanna Park and COAB citizens time for their input.The idea was tabled and never again
discussed. Our elected officials protected us from this bad idea in 1996; we urge this 2014-15
Board and Commission to act as wisely and justly,not selfishly.
4) Pandora's Box
An influx of cyclists and pedestrians will often arrive in vehicles from remote locations; where
will they park?Will golf carts and/or NUV's be the next to gain access, or will they also park in
droves, illegally along Seminole Road, and in the roundabout? How great is the opportunity for
new waves of vandalism,trespassing, non-residents of COAB abusing our neighborhoods? How
much more policing will be required for traffic tickets,cycling infractions,night-time riding
without proper lighting?Will mopeds have access? Will summer days see a long stretch of
patrons stacked-up awaiting entry? Does another access to Hanna make that Park safer or more
dangerous for its users?Will Park users decide to stroll into Oceanwalk? Is that SE-end of Hanna
Park suitable for access without expensive modifications?Once Pandora's Box is opened,even
for a"Pilot Program",will this become an entitlement which no one wilt relinquish once they
possess?
Regarding the Reasons to open access to Hanna offered by the Staff Report of 12,8.14:
We already have an easy access to the Park via the beach today; we have an incredibly healthy life-style
built-in to our choice of living so near the ocean;creating an East Coast Bike Trail is NOT a reason to
open Hanna,it's a reason to keep it closed;our neighborhoods are already a secure place to play for our
families...opening this access makes our kids LESS secure and safe,exponentially so;this opening will
NOT be a selling point for our homes and COAB tax base...it will predictably decrease property values.
Values are always higher in safe, restricted„gated, economically cohesive neighborhood, not ones that
are thoroughfares to passers-by and passers-through.
As an architect and planner, I recommend that COAB Staff,Oceanwalk Board Members and our COAB
Elected Officials read "Personal Space,The Behavioral Basis of Design"by Robert Sommer. My wife and
I, along with a majority of our neighbors,chose our cul-de-sac community for all the reasons analyzed in
that book,as well as the many CPTED studies available(Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design).A major cycling pathway destroys the desirable environmental,spatial, and psychological
qualities portrayed by these sociological treatises on human nature and interaction,We purchased our
lot in Oceanwalk and built our final home there precisely because we felt safe and secure in a beautiful
natural area,away from high traffic and noise, attendant crime and property value loss.
This Proposal is a mistake. We are irreversibly opposed to this unnecessary and illogical
change to our beloved Oceanwalk neighborhood and to our charming City of Atlantic Beach.
Best Regards,
Mich becca Bruce
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Facts to Consider on the Proposed Hanna Park/Atlantic
Beach Access
Parking/Safety Issues
1. The First Coast Metropolitan Planning
Organization (2006 Greenways & Trails Plan),
stated that property owners may fear their
neighborhood streets becoming a de facto parking
lot due to opening a southern access to Hanna
Park.
2. Section 21 of the Atlantic Beach Code of
Ordinances governs parking. If parking is
permitted, it is permitted for the public as well as
for the residents.
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Sign near the south Sign near the north
entrance, Oceanwalk entrance, Oceanwalk
Facts to Consider on the Proposed Hanna Park/Atlantic
Beach Access
Traffic/Safety Issues
3. According to Atlantic Beach public works, there
are no "dedicated bike lanes" in Atlantic Beach.
Bikes and motor vehicles share the same lane.
4. The following roads do not meet Fla. DOT
recommended lane width (14') for shared motor
vehicle/bike usage: Ocean Blvd., East Coast Dr.,
Seminole Road.
5. If the 14' recommended width is not available, Fla.
DOT recommends specific pavement markings and
edge of road signage for public safety. There are no
present plans to implement these markings or
signage.
6. There is a distance of approximately 400' from the
Oceanwalk north entrance to the Hanna
Park/Seminole Road fence. There is no sidewalk in
this area to separate pedestrians from cyclists and
motor vehicles.
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Crime/Safety Issues
7. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office statistics in 2005
showed Hanna Park had the highest number of incidents
and arrests in the City of Jacksonville Park system.
History of Seminole Road North Access Closure
1. Closed by the Council of the City of
Jacksonville, ordinance 72-650-340, approved
August 25, 1972
2. Interest to reopen Seminole Road appeared in
early 1983. Atlantic Beach City Commissioner
Gulliford presented and read in full a
proposed Resolution opposing the reopening
of Seminole Road at the January 24, 1983
Atlantic Beach City Commission meeting. A
motion was made: Proposed resolution
opposing the opening of Seminole Road be
adopted. The vote was taken and the motion
carried unanimously.
3. May 21, 1983, the head of the City of
Jacksonville's Traffic Engineering Division
made the decision to continue to keep the
road closed. Traffic through a residential area
was cited as the reason.
• Public Hearing to be held Monday, January 12, 6:30PM •
Atlantic Beach City Hall