Trails / Bicycle Infrastructure

[popsiclebrandon]

You are supposed to ride the standup ones on sidewalks. I think they just put those on all their new ones no matter what city they end up in.

[spenser1058]

Orlando City Council funds Downtown Connector Trail:

https://bungalower.com/2021/11/08/city-council-accepts-moneys-to-fund-downtown-connector-trail/

From Bungalower 

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

On 11/9/2021 at 6:05 AM, spenser1058 said:

Orlando City Council funds Downtown Connector Trail:

As excited as I am about the Anderson connection.....I think plenty of trees are gonna fall...and I reckon alot are gonna come down between Delaney and Mills. Hopefully the stately oaks along the Greenwood wetlands and cemetary area can be saved. Losing some turn lanes (particulary at Crystal Lake) is gonna suck. Maybe some compromises can be made. I dunno. No worries. Cheers. JRC.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Jolly Roger's Crackers

[codypet]

14 hours ago, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

As excited as I am about the Anderson connection.....I think plenty of trees are gonna fall...and I reckon alot are gonna come down between Delaney and Mills. Hopefully the stately oaks along the Greenwood wetlands and cemetary area can be saved. Losing some turn lanes (particulary at Crystal Lake) is gonna suck. Maybe some compromises can be made. I dunno. No worries. Cheers. JRC.

The engineer on for that trail is a member on this board and I know they're looking at trying to keep most of the trees and instead narrow up Anderson St. in and effort to create a tighter corridor and hopefully reduce the speeds.

https://www.orlando.gov/files/sharedassets/public/initiatives/bike-beltway/downtownconnectortrail30percentplans.pdf

Edited November 11, 2021 by codypet

[AndyPok1]

Oh that's fascinating.  I'd love to see the traffic studies of how much those right turn lanes onto Mills and Bumby are used and how much impact removing them will be (I can't think of a time I've used either, but obviously probably circumstantial to where I live and where I go).

[codypet]

2 hours ago, AndyPok1 said:

Oh that's fascinating.  I'd love to see the traffic studies of how much those right turn lanes onto Mills and Bumby are used and how much impact removing them will be (I can't think of a time I've used either, but obviously probably circumstantial to where I live and where I go).

I use it everyday.  But that said, I'll gladly sacrifice it in the name of trail connectivity.  The other thing that's going to be interesting is despite the signs to the contrary, trucks like to make that right turn down Bumby and munch up the drainage inlets on the corner.  I wonder what impact narrowing the intersection will have on keeping trucks from turning down Bumby.  The engineer designing had told me the primary real estate for this trail is the parking areas along Anderson (which is consistent with the turn lanes (as Primrose's turn lane comes from the parking area).  You'll notice Underhill's curve is tightened as well forcing a speed reduction there too.

[spenser1058]

Let’s follow @dcluley98down to Polk County and check out the Lake-to-Lake Trail. This article in The Jaxson highlights Lake Hollingsworth, a 350 acre lake near Florida Southern:

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/sights-and-scenes-lake-hollingsworth-drive

[angela1117]

On 11/11/2021 at 8:43 AM, codypet said:

hopefully reduce the speeds.

https://www.orlando.gov/files/sharedassets/public/initiatives/bike-beltway/downtownconnectortrail30percentplans.pdf

The OPD officer with her radar gun was doing a fine job of reducing the speed along Anderson west of Mills yesterday morning! 

[dcluley98]

We need more of this type of design in DTO: 

 

[spenser1058]

The Sentinel heads out on the West Orange Trail :

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/central-florida-explorer/os-prem-et-florida-fresh-air-west-orange-trail-scenic-recreation-20211217-qwqmfot5svez3myqzklbf2qtfy-story.html
 

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

Biked the Urban Trail again today. Progress is being made on a defined trail southwest bound from N. Magnolia Ave to N. Orange Ave along Weber Street:

It's getting there....about halfway complete. Not sure (at this point) if there will be a crosswalk signal to make

the transition across Magnolia over to Weber (and vice versa) safer. That spot is a bit "dicey"

as it occurs just over the crest of the (only) hill along Magnolia Ave as traffic heads north.

The progress along N. Orange Ave (heading south toward downtown)...is not unrolling quite as quickly:

ALSO....I did not see any "bike lane construction/demolition" (on Orange) south of the UT Colonial

Drive "bridge overpass path". Not sure.... (maybe the southbound Orange Ave path stops there?).

I dunno. Just here for the info and updates. Happy biking everybody. JRC.

p.s. Could somebody please change the newspaper lining the bottom of my cage?...I'm tired of pooping on the

same articles.

No worries. Cheers.

Edited December 20, 2021 by Jolly Roger's Crackers

[codypet]

20 hours ago, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

Biked the Urban Trail again today. Progress is being made on a defined trail southwest bound from N. Magnolia Ave to N. Orange Ave along Weber Street:

It's getting there....about halfway complete. Not sure (at this point) if there will be a crosswalk signal to make

the transition across Magnolia over to Weber (and further to Orange Ave) safer. That spot is a bit "dicey"

as it occurs just over the crest of the (only) hill along Magnolia Ave as traffic heads north.

The progress along N. Orange Ave (heading south toward downtown)...is not unrolling quite as quickly:

ALSO....I did not see any "bike lane construction/demolition" (on Orange) south of the UT Colonial

Drive "bridge overpass path". Not sure.... (maybe the southbound Orange Ave path stops there?).

I dunno. Just here for the info and updates. Happy biking everybody. JRC.

p.s. Could somebody please change the newspaper lining the bottom of my cage?...I'm tired of pooping on the

same articles.

 

No worries. Cheers.

Orange Ave Path ends at Colonial with the Overpass basically serving as the link to downtown.  They have installed the crossings east of the tracks on Livingston by ACE cafe.  The trail goes west to Garland and then south.  Right now its supposed to  continue to Jefferson and then go west to Gertrudes walk next to the home of the Rockafire Explosion.   At Robinson, the future road diet will connect to the  future trail/cycle track at Garland.

[spenser1058]

20 hours ago, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

Biked the Urban Trail again today. Progress is being made on a defined trail southwest bound from N. Magnolia Ave to N. Orange Ave along Weber Street:

It's getting there....about halfway complete. Not sure (at this point) if there will be a crosswalk signal to make

the transition across Magnolia over to Weber (and further to Orange Ave) safer. That spot is a bit "dicey"

as it occurs just over the crest of the (only) hill along Magnolia Ave as traffic heads north.

The progress along N. Orange Ave (heading south toward downtown)...is not unrolling quite as quickly:

ALSO....I did not see any "bike lane construction/demolition" (on Orange) south of the UT Colonial

Drive "bridge overpass path". Not sure.... (maybe the southbound Orange Ave path stops there?).

I dunno. Just here for the info and updates. Happy biking everybody. JRC.

p.s. Could somebody please change the newspaper lining the bottom of my cage?...I'm tired of pooping on the

same articles.

No worries. Cheers.

I loved that! It reminded me a little of the last part of the “Lou Grant” opening credits (from back in the Dark Ages for our Millennials and Zoomers):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vCDOAZcu5Fc

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

On 12/20/2021 at 4:10 PM, codypet said:

Orange Ave Path ends at Colonial with the Overpass basically serving as the link to downtown.  They have installed the crossings east of the tracks on Livingston by ACE cafe.  The trail goes west to Garland and then south.  Right now its supposed to  continue to Jefferson and then go west to Gertrudes walk next to the home of the Rockafire Explosion.   At Robinson, the future road diet will connect to the  future trail/cycle track at Garland.

I know this. Just pointing out that all of the demo is north of the bridge overpass...which I was not expecting. There is already a link (via a bridge ramp "down"...both north and south bound from the overpass) that puts a bike or pedestrian at Colonial on street level...with a crosswalk by the train tracks. That is only about 300 feet from Orange Ave. Maybe plans have altered? Who knows....I only ride my bike and make observations. Also....that is quite the behemoth going up next to the Lynx station (yes..I know what it is).  The transformation of downtown over the last 15+ years has been something else. Anyway...I digress. Looking foward to any updates on the connector to (and continuing along) Anderson. Cheers and Happy Holidays. JRC.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Jolly Roger's Crackers

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

On 12/20/2021 at 4:37 PM, spenser1058 said:

It reminded me a little of the last part of the “Lou Grant” opening credits

I just watched that. Haha! My sentiments exactly (all the feels at :55)! Cheers.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Jolly Roger's Crackers

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

I biked the "Bike 5 Cities" route (for the second time) today. Highly recommended (if you are getting tired of the usual trail riding).

There is an annual city sponsored ride every fall: Bike5Cities. The route map is available here: Bike5CitiesMap. I haven't participated

in the "offical" ride...but...you can do it on your own. There are "yellow arrows" painted on the roadways (and paths) to help you

along the way (and "I think" GPS help via smartphone) . Mead Gardens, Eatonville, a lovely ride around  Lake Sybelia, the Maitland and

Casselberry Trails (as well as Cady Way and Orlando Urban) and a long ride through Winter Park. Approximately 26-27 miles total

(depending on if you have to bike TO the Bike5Cities route). Just thought I'd  share the experience. It was a nice Sunday afternoon.

Feeling lucky to have such nice riding areas in a city that is growing this fast. No worries. Cheers. JRC.

p.s. It is a combination of paved trail and street riding (some bike lane...some not....but the road riding is not too bad).

p.s.s. I would recommend a weekend day for this outing  (to avoid excessive congestion at a few major intersections).

Edited December 27, 2021 by Jolly Roger's Crackers

[dcluley98]

Have to try that route out, Thanks!  A lot of similar overlaps to some of my "regular" routes.  Do they recommend CW or CCW? 

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

On 12/31/2021 at 5:57 PM, dcluley98 said:

A lot of similar overlaps to some of my "regular" routes.  Do they recommend CW or CCW?

Yeah...I have biked up Denning Drive and ridden the Maitland and Casselberry trails quite a bit. Alot of it is overlap (if you are familiar with those). The new sections (for me) were the Lee Road crossing up through Eatonville (and around Lake Sybelia) and the route south (from the Casselberry trail) through Winter Park back to Cady Way. Everything else was familiar ground (for me). I'd recommend clockwise (for your first ride) because you'll have the yellow painted arrows pointing the right direction (and also on the "right" side of the roadways and bike paths). They (the arrows) aren't completely necessary but it was comforting to see them along the route.

A few observations:

1. Once you exit Lake Sybelia (via Hillman at the elementary school) there IS a paved bike path along Sandspur Road (on the north side). You won't see it first (as there is a median and curb). You can bike east along Sandspur (for a few hundred yards) until there is an opportunity to cross over to the trail...or you can "curb hop" (my choice).

2. At Maitland Community Park the route detours south down Indian Dance Ct. There is a very narrow paved path that "literally" goes right through somebody's yard that connects to The Oaks Dr/Dommerich Dr en route to the Casselberry trails. It is easy to miss. Just saying. The rest of the route through Casselberry is easy.

3. There are some bricks through Winter Park (heading south) but it's not too bad. Most importantly is this: once you get to Phelps Ave (and head south)...it is mostly 4-way stops (or offset intersections) until you get to Palmer Ave. That is not a 4-way stop. I got distracted there and nearly got nailed by a speeding car (along Palmer). Be on your guard as it is easy to get into a comfortable rhythm there and mistakenly assume each intersection has a stop sign both directions. This is not the case.

All in all a fun ride (and a nice diversion from the normal stuff). Happy riding and Cheers. JRC.

 

p.s. The trail from Magnolia to Orange (along Weber Street on the UT) is about 80% done. There is a gap of about 50 yards (as well as several small gaps of about 8 feet) that need to be filled. Orange Ave still looks like a disaster zone.

[codypet]

On 12/26/2021 at 7:13 PM, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

I biked the "Bike 5 Cities" route (for the second time) today. Highly recommended (if you are getting tired of the usual trail riding).

There is an annual city sponsored ride every fall: Bike5Cities. The route map is available here: Bike5CitiesMap. I haven't participated

in the "offical" ride...but...you can do it on your own. There are "yellow arrows" painted on the roadways (and paths) to help you

along the way (and "I think" GPS help via smartphone) . Mead Gardens, Eatonville, a lovely ride around  Lake Sybelia, the Maitland and

Casselberry Trails (as well as Cady Way and Orlando Urban) and a long ride through Winter Park. Approximately 26-27 miles total

(depending on if you have to bike TO the Bike5Cities route). Just thought I'd  share the experience. It was a nice Sunday afternoon.

Feeling lucky to have such nice riding areas in a city that is growing this fast. No worries. Cheers. JRC.

p.s. It is a combination of paved trail and street riding (some bike lane...some not....but the road riding is not too bad).

p.s.s. I would recommend a weekend day for this outing  (to avoid excessive congestion at a few major intersections).

I've done the actual events and am friends with one of the organizers from FDOT.  Unfortunately the magic of the event got lost a bit post-Covid.  It really was a fun event.

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

Anybody know what's going on at Tuskawilla/Aloma? Biking east on Cross Seminole (once you cross Tuskawilla) there was always a heavily wooded area to the right (I even saw horses roaming around in there periodically). It is all gone now. The area north (between the trail and a daycare center) has been cleared as well. Looks like a new neighborhood development. Thankfully a thin strip of oaks/pines was left on the south side of the trail. Not sure. Sad to see the trees go. No worries. Cheers.

[HankStrong]

On 2/11/2022 at 6:05 PM, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

Anybody know what's going on at Tuskawilla/Aloma? Biking east on Cross Seminole (once you cross Tuskawilla) there was always a heavily wooded area to the right (I even saw horses roaming around in there periodically). It is all gone now. The area north (between the trail and a daycare center) has been cleared as well. Looks like a new neighborhood development. Thankfully a thin strip of oaks/pines was left on the south side of the trail. Not sure. Sad to see the trees go. No worries. Cheers.

M/I Homes is building a neighborhood of new homes.  They bought both sides, but I'm not sure if the N parcel is just for retention or if they will be building homes there.

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

On 2/16/2022 at 7:58 AM, HankStrong said:

not sure if the N parcel is just for retention

Confirmed...(unless they are digging out a new "fishing hole"). That whole (north area) is being hollowed out. Cheers.

[HankStrong]

13 hours ago, Jolly Roger's Crackers said:

Confirmed...(unless they are digging out a new "fishing hole"). That whole (north area) is being hollowed out. Cheers.

Excellent.  That's what would have been most logical, so I'm glad you confirmed it.

[codypet]

North Quarter Trail now has concrete.  I think they're just wrapping up and preparing for landscaping.  Orange Ave needs a resurfacing badly now.  

They've got construction signs all around the Bumby/Anderson intersection so maybe that trail is getting going?

[Jolly Roger's Crackers]

Metro area drivers trying their best to rehabilitate Orlando's reputation for being one of the worst cities to be a pedestrian (or bike rider):

T

That's on Cady Way at North Palmetto Avenue. I hope nobody was present at the time. Hey Zeus Crisco.....can we just slow down everybody?!?!  Oy Vey!  Crikey on a cracker! I digress.

On a lighter note... I bumped into one of my card playing buddies on the trail that day. He's got a deadpan poker face but is a bit of a hot head (DO NOT question him on the accuracy of his chips). Meet my pal Ethan Hawk:

No worries. Happy weekend everybody. Cheers.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Jolly Roger's Crackers