Christine Moore
By Christine Moore
In Summary:
Apopka faces growing concerns about traffic, suburban sprawl, and the loss of environmental habitat. Strong Towns advocates investing in existing neighborhoods, supporting local businesses, and expanding options for walking, bicycling, and public transportation. Local advocates are also planning a bicycle safety rally and inviting residents to participate in the Strong Towns Apopka Bike Club.
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Transportation and infrastructure are all anyone can talk about these days. Added to the woes of being stuck in traffic are complaints about suburban sprawl and loss of environmental habitat. I recently attended the National Strong Towns Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The city impressed me with its success in reducing car travel, building world-class bike trails, utilizing native plantings, cultivating local businesses, and building Craftsman-style smaller homes in the urban core.
Related: Strong Towns: Small transportation changes can make a big difference in Apopka.
Think about it – everyone here wants Plymouth Sorrento four-laned at the cost of $150 million when the county’s entire transportation budget is $125 million. City development along this roadway has produced some impact fees but their account balance is only $13 million – hardly the $150 million needed to widen Plymouth Sorrento Road. Wouldn’t it be better to build in the blighted parts of downtown where vacant lots and abandoned buildings already exist? Better policies and incentives are the answer to spur infill development.
What does the Strong Towns organization suggest as alternatives to spending millions of transportation dollars? Please don’t shoot this messenger – I’m sharing these ideas from President Chuck Marohn’s seminal book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer. Chuck received his education in civil engineering and advocated for better city building practices since 2013.
Marohn speaks of making existing roads tools for increasing a city's bottom line. A quality road should lead to more businesses, higher-paying jobs, and quality housing. Think about it – a downtown core should provide opportunity not simply a fast-paced route to somewhere else. The recent NOWCATS transportation study documented that 25% of Apopka roadway users are just passing through. Imagine if there were more jobs in the city and if local entrepreneurs captured business from those Lake County commuters.
He also believes we must fund biking, walking, busing, and rail options. Imagine if the Orange Blossom Express became a reality for Station Street? New businesses would flourish.
Additionally, he speaks of installing fewer traffic signals, lowering speed limits, and building more roundabouts to keep traffic moving. He provides data to show continuous car movement is more advantageous – remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Keeping the continuous flow of traffic is better than faster speeds with continual signalization.
Imagine if our sidewalks and bike lanes were safe enough to travel to the grocery store on an e-bike. Just think if our students knew the rules of the road and consistently wore helmets while riding safely on their scooters.
Strong Towns Apopka, in collaboration with Bike Walk Central Florida, is hosting a bike safety rally in late September. A dozen e-scooters, after students pass a safety course and are fitted, will be raffled. Finally, I hope you join the Strong Towns Apopka Bike Club – we ride the 2nd Saturday of the month.
Key Points:
- Widening Plymouth Sorrento Road is estimated to cost more than Orange County’s entire annual transportation budget.
- Infill development could direct growth toward vacant lots and abandoned properties in Apopka’s urban core.
- Strong Towns argues that roads should support businesses, employment and housing rather than serve primarily as high-speed routes.
- Safer bicycle facilities, sidewalks, transit and rail could reduce dependence on automobiles.
- Strong Towns Apopka and Bike Walk Central Florida are planning a bicycle safety rally in late September.
More information is available at Strong Towns Apopka on Facebook.
