Escambia County eyes more funding for bike lanes from Florida Legislature

Jim Little
Pensacola News Journal

Pensacola area cyclists have long advocated for more bike lanes and safe streets for pedestrians, but adding the improvements is a much slower process.

A part of that process played out Thursday morning at the Escambia County Commission Committee of the Whole meeting as the commissioners discussed their wish-list from for funding request from the Florida Legislature in 2019.

Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson, who is serving the final weeks of his term before moving to City Hall as Pensacola mayor on Nov. 27, pointed out the entire region only gets about $350,000 for bike lane and sidewalks from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Robinson said the county should ask the local delegation and its lobbyist to ask the FDOT to make more money available for bike and pedestrian lanes for municipalities with more than 400,000 people.

"I think if we could ask that question and get that support, it would be more money for us to do stuff," Robinson said. "Rather than us and Santa Rosa and the city of Pensacola all fighting for $300,000, which is a mile of bike-ped every year."

The Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, the region's intergovernmental transportation policy board, held public meetings in July asking residents to submit locations where they would like to see more sidewalks and bike lanes as it works on developing a new Pedestrian-Bicycle Master Plan for the region.

Rand Hicks, chairman of Ciclovia-Pensacola Open Streets and a member of the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee, said connecting the region and city with bike lanes will increase access and attract new residents, especially younger people.

"We can make this place a habitat that encourages diversity and unity at the same time we bring better health and community spirit to all," Hicks said.

A draft of the plan was released in September showing projects on West Cervantes Street, W Street, Burgess Road, U.S. 90, U.S. 98, Spencer Field Road and Munson Highway that are targeted areas that need new cyclist and pedestrian-friendly amenities.

Despite all the plans, without funding from FDOT, especially on state roads, it may be years before they will become reality.

The Florida Legislature, which will convene later this month for organizational meetings before the start of its regular session in January, is requesting the top three projects from counties.

Escambia commissioners were down one member on Thursday and decided to wait to rank their projects until a full board could meet.

Commissioner Lumon May wanted to know why they were submitting their list to their lobbyist rather than the local delegation.

"We have to get a little passion from our legislators to make sure they'll sponsor that," May said.

A few minutes later commissioners got word that newly elected Rep. Alex Andrade was on his way to the commission meeting.

"I'm a big local control guy," Andrade told the commission. "I believe that you guys should be the first stop. I want to make sure that whatever the County Commission tells me they want is what I'm going to go and fight for because I'm supposed to make you guys look good."

The commissioners said they wanted to meet with Andrade and other members of the Pensacola region's local delegation, which is made up of Rep. Mike Hill, Rep. Jayer Williamson and Sen. Doug Broxson before the start of the regular session in January.

Andrade, who is a co-founder of Onbikes Pensacola, a charity that distributes bikes and helmets to children across the Gulf Coast, told the commission he is looking to get on a transportation related committee.

"I'm going to be working to get on those committees and work my way through them," Andrade said. "So, I can't make any promises obviously. But I've got a charity that you guys have supported, Onbikes Pensacola. I care about it. It's just a matter of figuring out what I can actually do to support it this year and next year."

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.