Legacy trail extension (Sarasota, Venice: homes, construction, costs)

[Picshooter]

When you mention "used by a small fraction" You could easily replace Trails with boat ramps as well as county parks like Rothenback park with a secluded 3 mile paved trail.

Originally Posted by WickedBad

Trails etc in urban areas don't become "cheap" when cities or counties have to police them and maintain them. Keep in mind they too are public throughfares. Cities like Memphis have already experienced crime such as robbery and assault where their urban trail has been developed. This stuff and type of urban development has become an overly trendy "necessity" for cities, which is mostly a waste and used by a small fraction of the population of any city, and the same is true for Sarasota AND Pinellas.

[WickedBad]

Boat ramps and parks however have far more of a useful direct, utilitarian/identified purpose than a long strip of asphalt.

[Picshooter]

I hate to be dense but could you please clarify which long strip of asphalt are you referring to. Is it I-75, US 41, Honore,or somewhere else?

People recreate in different ways. I get that not everyone would use the rails to trails.

Originally Posted by WickedBad

Boat ramps and parks however have far more of a useful direct, utilitarian/identified purpose than a long strip of asphalt.

[motordavid]

Lately, in reading this forum, it feels like I am reading posts from a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder...

GL, mD

[Pumkkin]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Lately, in reading this forum, it feels like I am reading posts from a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder...

GL, mD

Well, stop reading if you feel a need to be a psychologist I guess ! ha ! it's the darn internet for heaven's sake, not the real world, right?

[Ninjaziou]

People who do not use the trail will blast the proposal but I for one wouldn't mind seeing an extension. It will attract more cyclist to use the trail instead of conjesting the roads and help create a healthier sarasota. As far as the costs go, its mainly in the construction, once thats done it should be good to go for years to come with minimal upkeep (maybe offer community service clean up program). I see people all the time on legacy, if it gave access to more places even more people would use it, and your LBS would surely enjoy the spike in cyclist.
Sarasota is a growing city who has to plan for its future to avoid urban sprawl, IMHO this can HELP.

[RoadVettes]

Originally Posted by Ninjaziou

People who do not use the trail will blast the proposal but I for one wouldn't mind seeing an extension. It will attract more cyclist to use the trail instead of conjesting the roads and help create a healthier sarasota. As far as the costs go, its mainly in the construction, once thats done it should be good to go for years to come with minimal upkeep (maybe offer community service clean up program). I see people all the time on legacy, if it gave access to more places even more people would use it, and your LBS would surely enjoy the spike in cyclist.
Sarasota is a growing city who has to plan for its future to avoid urban sprawl, IMHO this can HELP.

Agreed

[WickedBad]

Avoid "Urban Sprawl" ?? First, The City of Sarasota is not growing in land mass, you haven't clue what you're talking about viz the city's plan. The City of Sarasota is only 15 sq miles of land, with no significant plans of annexation.

Additionally The City of Sarasota is not a model of "urban anything". The entire MSA is already extremely diffused and decentralized in a multitude of clusters, and diverse spread out communities ...the MSA is primarily already predominately SUBURBAN, not "urban" at all. The so-called growh has been evidenced primarily in the MSA well outside The City of Sarasota. That outside growth trend is only likely to continue, not reverse. Peripheral growth and expansion is massive in suburban and even exurban locations or satellite cities or almost rural areas and planned communities, from Lakewood Ranch to Parrish to Venice, to even recently large planned communities in Cortez and very west Manatee County/West Bradenton.

[jabbolito]

Originally Posted by Ninjaziou

People who do not use the trail will blast the proposal but I for one wouldn't mind seeing an extension. It will attract more cyclist to use the trail instead of conjesting the roads and help create a healthier sarasota. As far as the costs go, its mainly in the construction, once thats done it should be good to go for years to come with minimal upkeep (maybe offer community service clean up program). I see people all the time on legacy, if it gave access to more places even more people would use it, and your LBS would surely enjoy the spike in cyclist.
Sarasota is a growing city who has to plan for its future to avoid urban sprawl, IMHO this can HELP.

You think that a darn trail is going to "create a healthier Sarasota" ? Walking/running/cycling on existing
sidewalks, in PUDs/streets, or numerous BIKE-LANES, cost nothing-zilch-nada-zippo. You certainly don't see neighborhood walkways jammed with residents jogging or walking or riding their bikes. Neither do you see them en masse "running the beach". You also must never ever visit your neighborhood Publix supermarket or you would notice the constant TRAFFIC JAM of CARS jockeying for a parking space for their VEHICLES, not for a bike rack for their bikes they rode "to the store". You can see this plainly whether you're at the Publix on LBK-Avenue of Flowers, The Publix Promenade on US 41 in DT Sarasota, The Publix at Siesta Drive, The Publix at LWR at Exchange/UniversityUniversity and Tuttle (which is ALSO surrounding by a zillion newer homes, zeros, and estate homes). This area's population drives VEHICLES practically EVERYWHERE, The Whole Foods in DT SRQ, The Publix Lakewood Ranch BLVD and SR70, The Publix Plaza at Tara BLVD, the newer Publix Plaza at Lockwood Ridge/SR70 (which is in a stone's throw from a zillion SF homes-existing, and a zillion SF new construction houses/villas/patios), Sorry, you are dead wrong. This area's population drives VEHICLES practically EVERYWHERE,

[bsundevil]

It should be clear to most thinking people that there are saturation points. It a fact by widening roads we provide a faster method to get for A to B. Than through cause and effect the traffic will increase exponentially (if you build it they will come) and the next step is to WIDEN THE ROAD AGAIN. To put in another way lets say we remove lanes and traffic comes to a stand still , what will eventfully happen ? Most likely people will be forced to move closer to where they intend to travel more often.
Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersections.
Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control. Myth Busters; European-style roundabouts were more efficient - allowing a higher throughput - than the 4-way intersection. [url=http://www.wimp.com/mythbusters-test-a-four-way-stop-vs-a-roundabout/]MythBusters test a four-way stop vs. a roundabout.[/url]
Bike trails can provide another way to commute, unfortunately its seems this particular bike path was envisioned as a recreational trail. Its bad example of a useful way to commute.
Reducing size of personnel vehicles is another method of clearing up log jam. I do not a fan of widening roads for manly pickup trucks.
The biggest change to help decongestant American roads will be driveless vehicles.