Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
August 22, 2018 — 4:00 p.m.
During their August 21, 2018 Regular Meeting, at the request of city Planning Manager Kelly Gibson, Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) discussed a Nassau County proposal to “skinny” Sadler Road between Drury Road and South Fletcher Avenue in order to provide additional beach parking, a wider bicycle lane and landscaping. Reaction from the commissioners was mixed, as has been reaction from businesses and residents who attended public meetings where the plan was put forward earlier.
Sadler Road is a county road and one of the few spots where the county could help alleviate the need for additional parking at city beaches. Currently, the road narrows from four lanes to two as it approaches the roundabout at South Fletcher Avenue from the west. The proposal would convert that transitional portion of the road to two lanes, one in each direction. The county would then re-mark the lanes to provide for parallel parking spots on both sides of Sadler, a wider bike lane and landscaping in the median between portions of the center turn lane, which would remain.
Planning Manager Kelly Gibson reported on studies that the county has conducted that determined that level of service on Sadler Road would not be degraded by the change. Joining Gibson was Kailey Saver, Nassau County Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Both county and city Fire Rescue Departments have indicated that the change would not adversely impact their ability to respond to emergency calls in that area.
Gibson explained the various means that the county and city had used to obtain community input, including formal meetings and the Farmers Market. She said that people supported the proposed crosswalks and larger bike lanes, but that the parallel parking was the “sticking point.”
Gibson sought input from the city commissioners that could be passed along to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners for their consideration.
Commissioner Roy Smith said he has never favored “road dieting.” He expressed concerns that people slowing to parallel park could cause traffic to back up and that opening car doors on the driver’s side might cause accidents with bicyclists. “The whole thing doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I don’t like it.”
Vice Mayor Len Kreger said that he has received input from citizens on both sides of the issue. “Personally, I think it is a good idea,” he said. “It is no different than Atlantic Avenue where you can parallel park on both sides of the street. I think it’s typical of a beach town, and it helps slow down the traffic in an area where there is a lot of foot traffic. I would support it, providing that all safety issues are complied with.”
Commissioner Phil Chapman was not supportive. He questioned a goal that was stated at public meetings to make Sadler Road a destination. He expressed fears that children would open car doors parked along Sadler without looking for oncoming bicycle and automobile traffic. He added, “Parallel parking is a lost art.” He said that people tend to jam on their brakes when they see an available parking place and jam up traffic behind them. He also expressed safety concerns with the pedestrian roundabout traffic that the increased parking would generate. “To me, this whole project is just a disaster waiting to happen,” Chapman said.
Commissioner Chip Ross said, “Life is a series of trade-offs.” He verified with Gibson that city and county safety personnel had signed off on the plan. “I hear over and over again,” he said, “that we need more beach parking. This [plan] is more beach parking. I don’t know where else you are going to put more beach parking.” Ross said that the plan as presented is designed to both provide more parking and reduce traffic speed in the area, concerns that many residents have expressed. Ross said that he was personally ambivalent about the plan, but that it does address unmet city needs.
In response to a question from Ross, Gibson indicated that the county would pay for the project, which would involve striping and landscaping but no construction. She said that project could be reversed if it proved to be unworkable.
Mayor John Miller spoke last. He asked Saver whether the new parking spaces could be included in any plans for paid beach parking. She replied that to date that had not been discussed. City Attorney Tammi Bach said that such an arrangement could be made via an interlocal agreement if the county and the city would agree. Miller said, “I give human beings a little more credit. I don’t think they are just going to dive out into oncoming traffic. These situations exist in other communities, and I think we might be going a little bit overboard in thinking people are going to be snapping open their car doors in front of bicycles and people are going to be flying down the road.”
Smith interrupted, “That’s okay until the first accident happens.”
Miller resumed his analysis, adding that the city has a similar situation with no problems on Atlantic Avenue. “I don’t see any problem in trying it out,” Miller said. “As I understand it the county is willing to reverse it if it doesn’t work out.”
Miller asked Gibson and Saver if they had sufficient feedback to take to the county commission. When they acknowledged they had, he ended the discussion with no public input.
Sounds great except for one thing – traffic heading east from the light at the Citrona-Will Hardee intersection is for the most part doing 45 to 55 mph (in a 35 mph zone) by the time they pass Ryan Road and are flying from that point towards the beach. I know, the police will say that they patrol that area and they don’t see that type of speeding but I challenge you to get out of the Pirates Bay neighborhood (from Ryan Road) on a summer afternoon and you’ll see some pretty fast vehicles whiz by as they round the curve on Sadler near Amelia’s Attic.
What’s needed is a traffic circle on Sadler at the Ryan and Drury Road outlets to slow traffic to a safer speed as they head to the beach. With that accomplished then the plan further down the road may, I repeat, may work. Without the traffic circle you’ll be squeezing high speed traffic into a bottleneck.
Since the county has zoned both sides of Sadler Road as commercial (say goodby to the last big trees along Sadler) we’ll have who knows what going in which will add to the traffic. One big hotel maybe two, a big gas station or two, gotta have another mattress store and at least one more nail salon. The amount of cars on Sadler will probably double in one to two years or so.
Time to rethink the entire FLUM for Sadler. It’s no longer 1990 and our needs have changed (city and county need to get together).
This ridicules idea was presented to a group of local business people a month or more ago and received a tepid reception. I find it interesting the County claims there are few funds available for road work yet can come up with money to convert this road to a “more pedestrian friendly roadway”. When the road was converted to its current configuration, promises for landscape were made and never completed. Now we are to believe if the test markings, costing probably in excess of $100K, don’t work out it they will be removed. Seems to me if the County has money to toss around for road work, they might consider doing something with the road markings and general disrepair of 14th Street before there is a major tragedy.
If speed and egress issues are present for Pirates Bay, I suggest as has another writer to build a circle where needed. In lieu of that, do some major speed enforcement.
IMO, this is nothing more than a plan to provide parking for off island beach goers and a restaurant and bar. Those who are marketing homes off the island as “being steps from the beach” need it. Then again, Mao did say that a journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step!
I would like a clarification please if the FO has access to the studies and data supporting this discussion. There is a fair amount of new construction (Hilton, etc.) coming to that area that would be narrowed. There are also parcels that are listed for sale that could go commercial as well if a new owner would choose to develop them as such. When they say that the “level of service on Sadler Road would not be degraded by the change”, is that for Sadler Road as it exists today with the amount of traffic it currently experiences or is that for Sadler Road 3, 5 or 10 years from now? Seems to me that this is an important consideration in whether it will work or not. Thanks for any light you can shed on this.
I personally think this is a terrible idea. Most of the concerns I have are the same as Commissioner Smith and Chapman have. Mr. Millers comment was laughable as Atlantic Ave. has parallel parking but the only people that park there are when there is a death in a household and they are receiving guests and the few people that use the Egans Creek park and when we have an election. I have lived on Tarpon Ave. for 40 years and I have seen very few people use the parallel parking on Atlantic for beach use. Sadler road is fine just as is.
Completely agree with your comments! Area of Atlantic Ave near the beach does not have multiple hotels, restaurants, retail stores, fire station, and several large neighborhood entrances along it…all using road daily!
As business owners of Amelia’s Attic on Sadler Rd we have attended meetings and researched the ‘Sadler Road Diet’ proposal.
We have been in business on Sadler Road for almost 15 years and have witnessed growth in the last 3 years unlike any before, which is predicted to continue. Sadler Road was widened due to need for traffic flow 20 years ago. Why, at a time of such growth, would we consider stepping backwards by eliminating 2 lanes of traffic on a heavily traveled road?
If the goal is indeed to improve the road for pedestrians and bicyclists we are in favor of:
1. Lowering the speed limit to 30mph (or even 25mph).
2. Adding 1 lighted crosswalk
3. Widening existing sidewalks
4. Planting palms & low maintenance ground cover in existing medians
In 15 years of running a retail business on Sadler Rd we have never heard locals or visitors voice complaints about the bike lanes or sidewalks. It is actually one of the nicer roads on the island to walk or bike to the beach.
Semi trucks are already forced to park temporarily in the middle turning lane in order to service already existing hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. With construction currently underway of another hotel and cottage complex this further increases traffic.
The Sadler Road Diet design would definitely create an unsafe situation for bicyclists when drivers trying to parallel park are forced to cross the new bike lane in order to park and then must open their car door right into the bike lane, forcing cyclists to either stop in the road or swerve into the one busy traffic lane.
We strongly believe the Sadler Road Diet would cause daily traffic backups at Ryan Rd as the 4 lanes reduce to 2 lanes. The traffic circle at Sadler & South Fletcher is already slow sometimes –with the proposed 1 lane to merge onto at Sadler (and visitors are trying to parallel park) the traffic circle will be negatively impacted and force traffic back-ups onto South Fletcher.
Also, fire trucks and emergency vehicles enter Sadler Road at 1st Avenue from Fire Station 1 near the traffic circle multiple times a day. Fire trucks will encounter more traffic delays and themselves cause further delays with one less lane for emergency use.
We are in favor of improving the use of Sadler Road for all parties who use it – but a road diet is NOT the right solution!
PLEASE DO NOT SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS TO STEP BACKWARDS at a time of growth and negatively impact local businesses along Sadler Rd! It does not make sense to reduce the lanes of traffic when they are heavily traveled on a daily basis.
Please consider simpler solutions such as the 4 suggestions mentioned above.
Thank you for your consideration,
Sylvia P. Gedeon
Jennifer G. Crews
Amelia’s Attic Furniture
2164 Sadler Rd
Better crosswalks everywhere are a great idea, but they are especially needed on that area of Sadler, before there is an accident. Many people are walking up from hotels, crossing the street to the Dairy Queen, and to the beach, etc., where there currently are no crosswalks. There are flashing crosswalks in Avondale in Jacksonville that flash when pedestrians press a button to enter the crosswalk. The flashing slows traffic down, as well as prominent signs that say something like “IT IS FLORIDA LAW THAT VEHICLES STOP FOR PEDESTRIANS IN A CROSSWALK.” A traffic circle as suggested should slow vehicles down, too. If there is only one lane’s width available running towards the beach, as per this new idea, traffic will slow because there won’t be room to go around those who are turning right on 1st Ave. We should encourage safe walking and biking, but we are sticking our heads in the sand (pardon the pun) if we don’t do something about parking for businesses and the beach. How about a beach shuttle bus instead? There is a gigantic practically empty parking lot in the shopping center at Will Hardee and Sadler, except for the crowd at Ms. Carolines’s Restaurant every morning. Could the owners of that commercial property maybe be enticed to rent out a portion for a beach parking business? Are there other unused parking lots on the island that could be convinced to do the same? There might be room in the Beall’s parking lot, too. Why not try to use existing, unused facilities before building new? A weekend-holiday shuttle bus could move people back and forth from parking to the beach.
Bicycle traffic is increasing along with public hospitality space in that area. Of course there are more pedestrians coming along with that too. Without any predetermined zoning and/or interest or funding in or for multi-level parking, getting an additional few parking slots may be all anyone can hope for. That however sounds like a 5 year plan not a long term plan.
All over FL coastal roadways are being elevated at great expense in anticipation of rising sea/tidal waters and increased storm/severity/activity levels. Spending tax dollars for short term plans at this point would be another fiduciarily, irresponsible governing move. Long term planning and financing should be paramount.
As a daily bicycle rider I can attest to people opening vehicle doors into both bike paths and roadways (without regard to riders) with great regularity. Bikers precautionarily plan for that by sliding away from vehicles by more than a door length, which sometimes means outward into adjacent roadways or depending upon roadway designs, onto walkways. This proposed parallel parking strip would certainly aggravate that and traffic patterns and speeds in both directions. That said, existing public parking is woefully inadequate along Fletcher during our summer months and the beach remains Fernandina’s greatest attraction for visitors and in many cases, residents.
Land (which is already very limited) should be acquired as it becomes available for 2 (or maybe 3) level public parking and zoned accordingly. We are behind the times in this otherwise welcoming, attractively quaint, historic township. Maybe that’s the majority plan of residents but probably not of businesses. Paid parking for visitors, but not for tax paying residents should be considered as an alternate funding mechanism for the necessary roadway long term updates.
I am so happy to see the comments that consider this as a money total waste of time and money considering 14th street is like driving on Baghdad road. It seems that PARKING and DRIVING ON THE BEACH take way too much time for our city commission!