Streets for People / The Wee Donkey, Whataboutism, Bathwater and Duval Street’s Future
Posted on February 19, 2021 1 Comment
By Chris Hamilton; This story was written for and published by KONK Life on February 19, 2021 and is reprinted here with permission.
From a Promise by Mayor Johnston to a Full-Blown Project
The Mayor ran on a platform of revitalizing Duval Street in 2018. She came through by initiating the Mall on Duval pilot project in 2019 and that begat a Duval Street Revitalization Study RFQ in 2020. An amazing consultant team was selected at the August 19, 2020 City Commission meeting, a contract was signed by both parties in November and agreement on a budget and scope of work for Task 1 of the project should come to the Commission in March. Then the fun starts as the consultant begins data collection and community outreach. And thus, begins our story of the Wee Donkey, whataboutism, bathwater and Duval Street’s future…
What is Duval Street Revitalization?
According to the City’s Request for Qualifications the goal of the project is to “renovate and revitalize Duval Street to increase opportunities for public use as an iconic civic space for leisure, commerce and tourism; address the infrastructure which will allow for reasonable maintenance frequency and reduce costs to businesses and taxpayers; improve safety for pedestrians and vehicles; and maintain mobility for desired transit operations for all users.”
“We all love our main street and want to see it prosper and bring our community together” said Mayor Johnston in championing the RFQ:
“Mall on Duval brought locals downtown who haven’t been there in years, prompting a conversation about what improvements need to be made, including widening sidewalks — they range from 8 to 18 feet — and adding planters and benches. There are street designs that have the sidewalk on the same level, and you divide it off by concrete planters. The street can be cobblestone and the sidewalks can be different materials. … We also need shade, benches and water fountains.”
Mayor Teri Johnston in 2019
On local Facebook groups and blogger sites, residents and businesses talk about the need for:
- more space for people and wider sidewalks
- parklets
- more street trees and shade
- benches so one can take a break and sit
- art
- water fountains
- opportunities for outdoor cafés and retail displays, and
- closing some blocks to cars, some of the time to allow for mini-street festivals and Friday Happy Hours that draw residents downtown to shop, eat and play.
What that ultimately looks like, well that’s the hard part.
Mary, Joseph and the Wee Donkey!
Last week Keys Weekly did a story on the upcoming project entitled Key West to Start Redesigning Duval Street, (Mandy Miles, February 12, 2021). It featured this picture from the consultant that depicts an artist’s rendering of a potential future Duval Street.
All hell broke loose on the Key West Interwebs in reaction. On multiple Facebook groups and local gathering places was heard:
“Sterile!”
“Horrible!”
“Don’t Miami Key West!”
“Don’t Las Vegas Key West!”
“Don’t Orlando Key West!”
“WTF!”
“No!”
“Noooooooo!”
“Gross!”
“They are ruining the charm!”
“Yuk!”
“Miamization!”
“Hate it!”
These were the most common and charitable comments. But the kicker was this from friend and local Key West Island News publisher Linda Grist Cunningham: “Mary, Joseph and the Wee Donkey! That is one horrific “rendering.” Linda went on to say: “If that’s what’s in their imagination, if they think it’s OK to use a conceptual drawing that has no charm, no connection to the island, Key West’s mystique is gone.”
And you know what? Linda and all similar commenters are exactly right. We want Key West, Duval Street and our little historic downtown to be what they are – Key West! Not someplace else.
Linda, to her credit took the conversation a step further and wrote a very nice piece Revitalizing Duval – Let’s Meet in the Middle (February 16, 2021) saying “It’s a project and process I support.” She reiterated her rightful objections to the rendering and then smartly talked about five consistent threads she gleaned from the comments that we likely can all agree on:
- Keep Key West’s shabby-chick, historic look-and-feel
- Add green stuff (think shade trees)
- Fix the flooding
- Make real room for pedestrians, but don’t close Duval
- Clean things, paint things, repair things
Whataboutism in Full Bloom
While many people rightly took to the discussion decrying “other-towning” Key West, many people simply reverted to Whataboutism – the practice of responding to a difficult question by making a counteraccusation or raising a different issue entirely. Here’s just a little sample from the chatter:
“But what about fixing Bertha?
“But what about fixing Whitehead?”
“But what about the potholes on other streets?
“But what about fixing the other side of the island?”
“But what about the residents?”
“But what about helping local businesses stay afloat?”
“But what about helping locals open businesses?”
“But what about fixing the beach?”
“But what about affordable housing?”
“But what about workforce housing?”
“But what about all the people with no masks?”
“But what about the stupid mask mandate?”
“But what if I like to drive my car on Duval?”
“But what about fixing the airport?”
“But what about investing in (fill in the blank) instead?”
“But what about the children?”
Perhaps legitimate questions all. But NOT in the context attempting to revitalize our Main Street.
Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater
Knee-jerk whataboutism responses just take all communication off topic. Perhaps that’s the user’s goal? By bringing up other subjects entirely, it makes it less likely we can have a constructive discussion of the issue at hand. Or it makes it more likely that nothing gets done. That’s short-sighted.
So, let’s agree not throw the baby (Duval Street Revitalization) out with the bathwater.
“The last facelift on Duval was back in the 1970s. Now we begin the process of community involvement — public meetings, gathering ideas, talking to property owners – to find out exactly what each member of this community would like to see happen. There is no preconceived plan, that’s where the community’s opinion and vision comes in. This is an opportunity for all of us to have a hand in what we envision for our city,”
City Manager Greg Veliz
So, let’s focus on Duval please. As the Mayor and Manager have said, the vision for Duval Street will ultimately come from we the people who live here and the businesses downtown.
We’re in Good Hands
In the consultant’s qualifications they teased out a few things for us to consider. We like the notion of Duval as three streets with one name. Lower, Middle and Upper Duval each have their own vibe. Ideas such as innovative tree planting systems, pavers with curbless sidewalks, retractable bollards, innovative tree grates and trench drains present opportunities for doing things differently. The possibility of one-way blocks to narrow the vehicular path to expand the pedestrian zone and tree cover and additional benches, cafe’ seating and art are the essence of the “streets for people” we advocate for.
KCI/Dover Kohl cited a number of similar projects that should make us feel good about their bona fides. To name a few there’s Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Music Row in Nashville, Las Olas Boulevard and Breakers Row, in Fort Lauderdale, and Lake Worth Beach Design Guidelines to name just a few. To reiterate, we don’t want Key West’s Main Street to look like any of these places, but these two firms are adept at listening to locals and coming up with planning and engineering solutions to help guide us to a unique and better future. At Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown we have been following the Facebook page of Dover Kohl for a long time and love their point of view. KCI Technologies is the kind of engineering and construction firm that will help make our project real and environmentally and sustainably sound.
The track record of the consulting team and their approach give us faith in the process. The fact that the Mayor and City Hall are behind this and willing to invest in our downtown is grounds for optimism. The fact that so many people love our island and want to thoughtfully participate, give us hope.
The Times, They Are a Changing
Lastly, the other common online comment thread was some form of:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“I don’t want anything to change.”
“It’s fine just the way it is.”
“Leave it alone.”
Yada, yada, yada
This isn’t really a constructive response either because change happens whether or not you want it to and the opportunity with this project is to try to direct that change a bit. Key West in the heady times of the overseas railroad in the 1920’s until the hurricane in ‘35 was different from the military dependent times thereafter. The funky, laid back 1970’s was altogether different after the cruise ships and tourist boom came here in the late 80’s and 90’s. It is different still today. It has constantly been changing. Here’s how our friend, local artist John Martini sums it up in response to the “it ain’t broke” and “whataboutism” crowds:
“Key west is not a museum. Key West history is a story of nothing but change.
Let’s participate, have our voices heard and create an improved Duval Street appropriate to the resident’s needs. There is no plan until the citizens make known their needs. You can participate or you can continue on as keyboard warriors accomplishing nothing.”
John Martini, local Key West artist
Indeed. Let’s move past the horrific rendering, agree not to whatabout this project and positively participate in the Duval Revitalization process to build a better future for our little island paradise.
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Other Recent Duval Street Stories:
- Key West, Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #4: Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown December 28, 2020
- Duval Street – We See the Future and it Could Start Now June 24, 2020
- Duval Street Revitalization Moves Forward June 10, 2020
- Does Duval Street/Downtown Need a Business Improvement District? June 4, 2020
- Can We Pedestrianize Duval and Still Allow Vehicles? May 28, 2020
- City of Key West – Let Our Restaurants Take the Streets! May 6, 2020
- 20 Parklets on Duval in 2020 April 28, 2020
- Reimagining Key West – 3 Quick Wins for Revitalizing Duval Street April 24, 2020
Streets for People / Averting E-Bike Mayhem and Making Key West Sidewalks Safer
Posted on February 13, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton; This story was written for and published by KONK Life on February 12, 2021 and is reprinted here with permission.
Thanks to Mayor Teri Johnston and Commissioner Sam Kaufman’s persistence, at its February 17 meeting, the City Commission will take up an ordinance to ban e-bikes and electric standup scooters from our sidewalks, to limit these e-vehicles and micromobility devices to 15 mph on multi-use paths and lift the year-old moratorium on new companies renting these vehicles. This is good news, especially as we’re big proponents of electric bikes and scooters as part of the bicycle, walk and transit options mix for the island.
Fear of Deluge of E-Rentals Begets Moratorium
A year ago, in February of 2020, the City Commission put a 180-day moratorium on new companies coming in and renting motorized or non-motorized vehicles. The impetus was the fear of rental electric bikes and electric standup scooters overrunning the town, specifically overrunning our sidewalks and making them unsafe for pedestrians. The moratorium was said to be needed to review data on traffic safety and capacity as leaders figured out what to do.
New Florida Law Regulates E-Vehicles
On July 1, a new Florida law provided for three classifications of e-bikes or pedal assist and throttle bikes and gave them all the rights, privileges and duties of human powered bikes, meaning they could operate anywhere a regular bike could operate, including a sidewalk. However, the new law also gives counties and municipalities the ability to regulate their use on sidewalks.
Mayor Doesn’t Like First Draft of Ordinance
At the Commissioner’s October 6 meeting they extended the moratorium by another 180-days or longer in order to complete the tasks needed to get an ordinance in place, citing the Coronavirus as a reason for the delay. At the City Commission’s final meeting of the year on December 2, City Attorney Shawn Smith let everyone know that since a draft ordinance was part of his annual goals for the year, he was presenting them a draft, codifying the new State rules in the City’s ordinance, thereby meeting his goal. However, this draft did nothing to address safety on the sidewalks or streets, in fact it simply permitted e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks, like bicycles. The Mayor’s response:
“The ordinance essentially says open the city’s streets and sidewalks to e-vehicles and let them come in. I had great concern about that because we have no data on sidewalk safety, on where these vehicles go, how we control them, how we monitor them. Because of our lack of bicycles lanes, we have shoved everything onto our sidewalks which, I think we can all agree that they’ve become very dangerous…. We’ve got small sidewalks. We’ve got busy sidewalks. And we’re trying to put one more form of transportation on them. We need to know how to do that safely.”
Mayor Teri Johnston
The Mayor rightfully wasn’t satisfied. She asked for some data on potential conflicts between e-vehicles and pedestrians and wanted safety recommendations, including how to ban these vehicles from sidewalks, as part of a package. Commissioner Sam Kaufman suggested that the City’s Transportation Coordinator, Tim Staub, be given more sway in final recommendations.
New Draft of Ordinance Comes Together
Mr. Staub got some quick pedestrian and bicycle counts on local paths and researched options for regulating different classes of vehicles on the sidewalks. The Mayor reached out to some local bicycle advocates, including Ryan Stachurski, Roger McVeigh and me and discussed Mr. Stuab’s ideas.
It was easy enough to use the new State law and simply insert language in the City ordinance banning e-bikes and e-scooters from sidewalks that aren’t part of a multi-use path. Multi-use paths include the Promenades on North and South Roosevelt, and the designated paths on Bertha Street, Atlantic Boulevard and Palm Avenue. The e-vehicles, by State statute, can’t be banned from the multi-use paths. However, e-vehicles can be limited to a certain speed, and that’s exactly what the new ordinance does, setting the speed limit at 15 mph, when these vehicles typically travel at 20 mph and above.
The City Attorney’s Office worked with Mr. Staub to address the Mayor’s and Commissioner Kaufman’s ideas and concerns and got something positive done. At Mr. Kaufman’s urging the new ordinance provides exceptions to e-vehicles on sidewalks for children and persons with disabilities.
“We all want our sidewalks to remain safe for our residents and visitors alike. The increased use of electric bicycles and other electric motorized devices on sidewalks has created increased safety concerns. We also want to promote the safe operation with alternative means of transportation to reduce automobile traffic and parking congestion. We need policies that achieve a balanced approach on our island especially for areas with more narrow streets and sidewalks.
These amendments promote the public’s health, safety, and welfare by conforming commercial rental vehicle regulations with Florida Statutes and providing additional safety precautions with the use and rental of electric bicycles and electric motorized devices.”
Commissioner Sam Kaufman
Ordinance + Signage + Education + Safer Streets = Success
The new ordinance, which also lifts the ban on and sets permit fees for the rental of these kinds of vehicles, is a positive advancement for safety on our streets. It even instructs those renting these vehicles to notify their customers of the rules of the road for their use so hopefully, tourists won’t use these on our sidewalks unknowingly.
We’d also add that the City should do three things to ensure compliance with the new ordinance:
1. Install signage on the multi-use paths regarding the speed limit.
2. Engage citizens and visitors with education about where e-vehicles can and cannot be used, and
3. Embark on a broader project at making our streets safer for bicycles and e-vehicles by following up on the success of the Crosstown Greenway and implementing more elements of the Bike Master Plan. If people are using the sidewalks, it is because they feel unsafe in the streets. Making our streets safer for everyone will ensure pedestrians can use our sidewalks and not worry about getting run down.
Mayor Johnston, Commissioner Kaufman, the Transportation Coordinator and Attorney’s Office should be applauded for their diligent work and a job well done. Everyone should ask their respective Commissioners to support the new ordinance and the follow-up it deserves.
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Streets for People / Sustainability Board Wants to Make Free, Frequent and Simple Key West Transit a Reality
Posted on February 6, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton; This story was written for and published by KONK Life on February 5, 2021 and is reprinted here with permission.
Once again, the City’s Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) is on the leading edge of creating positive change. At its January 14 meeting, the Board, adopted a Fare Free Resolution calling on the City to raise metered parking rates by $0.50 cents and target the new revenue for making City routes fare free, increasing frequency on the new North and South Routes and increasing driver pay in order to compete with other entities and improve reliability. If there’s any money left over, they stipulated it should go into the Transportation Alternatives Fund for other alternative modes. In recent years past the SAB has championed the creation of the Duval Loop and the City’s Transportation and Bicycle Coordinator positions. This is a good idea that needs to be supported by residents and the business community.
Free, Frequent and Simple – Duval Loop’s Formula for Success
Launched in August of 2017, the Duval Loop quickly became a favorite of visitors and the lodging, attractions, restaurant and retail businesses in our downtown. The service is successful because it is FREE, FREQUENT (buses arrive every 15-20 minutes) and has a SIMPLE route that is easy to understand. In 2019 more than 410,000 trips were taken on the Loop. More people rode the Loop than the other four City bus routes and the Lower Keys Shuttle combined. It is only 3 years old and is universally hailed as something the “City did right!” Two actions during the last year testify to this success:
- At the May City Commission Meeting where a $1 fare on visitors using the Loop had been imposed, a record number of 28 residents and downtown business people used the online e-Comment system to voice opposition to instituting a fare.
- After a six-month failure at trying to raise revenues by instituting a fare on visitors using the Duval Loop, the City Commission reinstated the Loop’s FREE fare by a 7-0 vote at its October 20, 2020 meeting because the City’s 17-Point Covid Recovery Plan, developed between citizens and business groups, said free downtown transit was vital to local mom n pop businesses and so identified it as a core measure for downtown business recovery.
With residents and business interests agreeing not to mess with success and with ridership data that says it works, why not duplicate that “Free, Frequent and Simple” success formula on the other routes? Well…
Key West Transit’s 10-Year Plan Foretells Free, Frequent and Simple
The City’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan (TDP), adopted in late 2019, is an ambitious, progressive plan promising a system of “Loops” (Duval, Old Town, Midtown, New Town, Stock Island) to be connected by a few simple “Connector” routes; Airport (along S. Roosevelt), North (along N. Roosevelt), KWIC (Key West Intermodal Connector on Stock Island), and the Lower Keys Shuttle). In addition to the simple Loop and Connector routes, the Plan calls for 15–20-minute frequencies between buses and discusses moving towards free fares. So, the Sustainability Advisory Board isn’t going out on a limb here. Free, Frequent and Simple is actually called for in the City’s adopted 10-Year Transit Plan.
Simple Routes Come to Key West Transit in May
When Key West Transit began operations again on May 16, after having been out of service since the beginning of the shutdown in late March, they quietly reemerged with just two “simple” City routes, North and South Lines, that mainly travel along North and South Roosevelt Boulevards to downtown where they intersect with the Duval Loop. They replaced the four meandering, circuitous, serpentine, snaking, winding, twisty, tortuous, hard to understand Red, Orange, Blue and Green routes. Here they are below.
The Four Old Red, Orange, Blue and Green City Routes
The Two New North and South Lines
So, it looks like Key West Transit got the simple. But then things stalled. Enter the Sustainability Advisory Board.
“I see no reason that a city like Key West, with our favorable geography, should not be able to do as many other cities have done and provide free of charge transportation to our residents and hopefully we can bring bus driver’s wages up to a competitive and living wage.”
Dakin Weekley, Chair, Key West Sustainability Advisory Board
Why Free Fares Makes Sense
Downtown resident and SAB Member Eric Detwiler recognized the need for more action beyond the simplified routes and so gathered data, collaborated with City staff on a plan and pitched a resolution that provides a mechanism, via the additional parking meter revenue, to get this going sooner than later. From Mr. Detwiler’s presentation to the SAB we glean a few main points:
- Bus fares cover only 10% of the cost of operations
- Costs associated with collecting fares may be equal to the revenue the fares bring in
- The time taken to collect the fares contributes to the slowness of the buses
- The time a bus is stopped on the street while collecting fares contributes to congestion
- The Key West residents who are riding the buses are likely the least able to pay
- Other Florida bus systems have gone fare free with significant positive impacts on ridership
- The Duval Loop example
Why Frequent Service is Needed Now
Research from around the globe identifies frequency as the most important aspect of useful transit. Why? People hate waiting. The longer the wait between buses, the more anxious people grow. The more anxious they are the less likely they are to take the bus. While Key West Transit has simplified their awful, old, rambling and confusing routes, the frequency is still terrible. Here’s the current schedules:
Each line only has 10 trips in per day and 10 trips out. That’s 80 to 90 minutes between each bus at any given point. To top it off, the last trips out from downtown leave at 7:20 pm. And service is even less on the weekend. According to their own customer survey, Key West Transit riders say “more frequent service” is the most needed improvement and “more weekend service” is number two.
And if current riders don’t like the frequency and span of service, how in the world are we going to attract new people out of their cars to use the bus. The level of service is simply not adequate for anyone contemplating this for work or school or any kind of reliable transportation. Trips need to be at least every 15-20 minutes, like on the Duval Loop.
Residents and Business Need to Lobby the Mayor and Commissioners for Needed Action Now to Make Key West Transit Free, Frequent and Simple
In the end, if more people walk, bike and take the bus it makes our streets more efficient. It is friendly to our environment and helps combat climate change. It is more equitable for all our citizens. It makes us healthier. And happier too. Very importantly it helps our local mom and pop businesses prosper. THAT’S why the City must enact the Sustainability Advisory Board’s recommendations and raise metered parking fees by $0.50 cents and put the money towards Free, Frequent and Simple Transit. It will make our little island paradise all the better.
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Articles
- Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes. But… December 26, 2020
- Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories for 2020 – #9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! December 21, 2020
- Commission: No More Free Ride for You!, May 5, 2020, Friends of Car-Free Key West
- Keep the Duval Loop FREE for Visitors, April 30, 2020, Friends of Car-Free Key West
- What Benefits Can Cities Expect From Fare-Free Transport, March 11, 2020, Cities Today
- Public Transit Can Be Free, August 24, 2018, Jacobin
- Americans Spend Over 15% of Their Budget On Transportation – These Cities Are Trying To Make It Free, March 2, 2020, CNBC
- Free Public Transport Is Gaining Popularity in European Cities, October 30, 2018, CZ.com
- Should Transit Be Free?, January 28, 2019, Transit Center
- Should Transit Be Free?, Part 2, February 12, 2019, Transit Center
- Who’s Afraid of Free Public Transit, May 25, 2018, NextCity.org
Streets for People / Volunteers and a Little Green Paint Show How We Can Make It Safer to Bike
Posted on February 1, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton; This story was written for and published in KONK Life on January 29, 2021 and reprinted here with permission.
If you’ve traveled Staples Avenue between George and 12th Streets lately you can’t help but to have noticed newly painted green bike lanes and ‘Super Sharrows’, yellow painted curb extensions, and newly installed delineator posts, curb separators, and signage. This Crosstown Greenway Pilot Project is designed to slow down cars, reduce cut-through traffic in the residential neighborhood and make it safer for bicycles and pedestrians to travel the route. It’s a big freaking deal when something like this gets done in our little town. Especially as it shows a path forward for doing similar work all across the City to make biking easier and safer for all.
The Crosstown Greenway is a safe East/West corridor for bicycles that spans the island from South Roosevelt Boulevard to Reynolds Street along Duck, Staples and Von Phister Avenues, right through the middle of the City. The path has been identified in the City since 1996 and is a major priority of the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan as a safe alternative to using N. Roosevelt Boulevard to get across the island. The Pilot Project focused on the middle of the Greenway’s route to experiment with temporary, low-cost actions aimed at making the route safer for bikes, pedestrians and cars.
The effort is led by the City’s Multimodal Coordinator, Tim Staub, and the nationally known “tactical urbanism” firm Street Plans from Miami who found a $30,000 health and safety grant to advance the project. The design of the project was facilitated by an online survey, door-to-door visits with neighbors along the corridor to hear their thoughts, and two evenings of public workshops in October 2019 and January 2020 to update the public on the feedback and project ideas received. Street Plans is most widely known for its approach called “Tactical Urbanism,” an approach that emphasizes projects that are temporary and removeable, are built with low-cost materials, include public input and involvement in installation, and are evaluated for their function and scalability before moving on to more durable and permanent solutions.
After a six-month delay because of the Coronavirus, over the weekend before Thanksgiving, thirty plus dedicated volunteers and City staff, successfully completed Phase I of the Crosstown Greenway Pilot Project. Participants prepped materials, measured and marked, and then painted the street and installed plastic delineators and curbs. The results are beautiful.
An important benefit of the pilot project is the knowledge transfer to volunteer bike advocates and City staff who are now able to undertake similar safety improving bike and pedestrian projects throughout the City at minimal cost.
Now that we’ve gotten something done, have staff and volunteers trained, and the public has seen this is a good way to make our streets safer for all users, we expect more good things to happen. Soon! Presumably Phase 2 of the Crosstown Greenway project will be to make some of these interventions more permanent and to move north and make the area where the path crosses Kennedy Street, the ballfields, Duck Avenue and S. Roosevelt safer. It also shows the path forward on safety improvements, identified in the Bike/Ped Master Plan, to get the green light sooner than later. And THAT’s why this item is so important to bicycling on the island. We’re hopeful for the future!
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Photo credits: Tim Staub
For a more in-depth description of this project visit our original story: Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #3: Crosstown Greenway Shows Path Forward for Bikes; January 1, 2021
Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #1: Cruise Ship Referenda Passing Makes Duval Street & Downtown’s Future Better
Posted on January 3, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton, January 4, 2021
The passing of the three Cruise Ship Referenda by Key West citizens gives us an opportunity to remake Duval Street and the historic district into a real downtown, where mom and pop shops thrive and serve the needs of locals, snowbirds and long-stay visitors. It sets the stage for an upcoming Strategic Plan and Duval Street Revitalization Plan processes where the citizens and local business can set the course of downtown’s future instead of catering to the agenda of the corporate mass tourism industry. The referenda’s passage was so bold, it was a shot for locals heard round the world to take back their city and reimagine a better future. THAT’S why this is our #1 story in this year’s Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020.
Our Island’s Health and Water is Better Without Big Cruise Ships
It didn’t take very long into the shutdown this spring for people that work the water to report seeing cleaner water and nature coming back with more fish and animals. As the good folks at Safer, Cleaner, Ships put it, Big Ships, Big Problems. The large cruise ships are a public health hazard. All around the world cruise ships fostered Covid outbreaks. They foul our environment and kill marine life. Large cruise ships in Key West’s shallow channel stir up silt plumes that drift onto coral and seagrass beds. Excessive silt kills juvenile conch, lobster, stone crab, fish, and coral. They routinely dump pollutants into the ocean, including bilge water containing oil and grease, raw sewage, food waste, and household garbage. Public health is essential to our economy. Our economy, especially our fishing and maritime sports relies on a healthy marine ecosystem. The referenda’s passage will mean our waters, land and air will all be the better for it.
After six plus months without ships in port, any local will tell you — with certainty — that the water quality and clarity both inshore and off is markedly better. Fishermen are enjoying a more diverse and sizable catch, dive boats have witnessed increased visibility and more abundant marine life, and even marinas have noticed vastly clearer water and the return of species not seen in years so close to the docks.
Billy Kearins, Owner, Coast, 803 Whitehead Street
Our Overall Economy Will Be Better Off Too
With 50 percent of our visitors coming from cruise ships, our downtown economy catered to this group, often led by large corporate interests. Higher rents near the port leading to either chains or trinket shops with inexpensive items made elsewhere, crowded out opportunities for venues that cater to locals and long-stay visitors. Cruise ship kick-back schemes drive profits down for local business owners. When cruise ship visitors spend an average of $32 per person and other travelers spend an average of $550, having the day visitors crowd out others doesn’t make good economic sense.
The economy again goes back to the environment though. People come hear for the crystal clear waters, good fishing, and clean air. If we allow that to be ruined, no one is coming here period.
Only time will tell whether Key West’s bold new tourism move pays off…But for many travelers, the news alone already makes the idyllic southernmost point of the United States all the more worth visiting.
Gilbert Ott, November 10, 2020; Key West Shuns Cruise Ships in Bold New Tourism Move
Duval Street & Historic Downtown Suffer from Mass Tourism
Travel research around the globe points to mass tourism or day travelers scaring away higher value overnight tourists and locals too. The old Yogi Berra truism of “Nobody goes there anymore. Its too crowded.” is apt here. Anecdotally we’ve all heard locals and snowbirds say they avoid Duval Street and parts of downtown because of the crowds. People in lodging have heard the same from their guests. So the T-shirt, trinket and quick alcoholic-slushy places have crowded out other businesses and exacerbated the cycle because then the local people say there’s no place worth going to on main street. It’s a viscous downward cycle to the bottom.
“The home-grown economy & culture are why we moved to Key West from the mainland. The stronger they are, the more appealing Key West itself is—and the more interesting it is to the world. Mass tourism only drags us down in the eyes of the very visitors we want to attract.”
Local business owner Louis Raymond
People Fondly Recall an Earlier, Simpler Time on Duval
As the pandemic unfolded in the spring and the wonderfully thoughtful Reimagining Key West Facebook group sprang to life and help spur on Safer, Cleaner Ships, we heard countless stories about a bygone Key West that was simpler, less crowded and more about our residents. And how that attracted amazing long-term visitors who appreciated being among the locals. Here’s how longtime local artist John Martini describes a time many recall fondly:
“Towards the middle and later part of the 70’s local entrepreneurs started to open small boutiques, book stores, theaters, guest houses, galleries, restaurants, café and bars. There was a wide selection of stores, many offering a personal and unique approach to marketing. Alongside the already existing business’s things began to brighten for Duval Street.
We moved Lucky Street Gallery from Margaret St. to the 900 block of Duval around 1983. On one side of the gallery there was a swimming suit designer/retailer and on the other a fine Italian restaurant. Next to that was Savannah, an iconic Key West restaurant. Down the block one way was Fast Buck Freddie’s and Environmental Circus and up the street Lawrence Formica’s La Te Da.. and lot’s in between. The visitors, often long stay, were generally engaged and taken with the bohemian atmosphere, the clear air and ocean, the ability to access a wide variety of outdoor activities and often ended the day in one of the many restaurants, bars or clubs. Locals and visitors were comfortable roaming Duval Street day and evening. Local merchants profited and the changes extended further up Duval.
In the late 80’s things began to change. The powers to be decided that mass tourism, with numerous short time tourists over the long stay tourism that existed at the time, would suit their business interests better than the laissez fare nature of what was then a lively Duval Street. Along come the cruise ships around the same period. My Lucky Street Gallery was forced off Duval around 1993 and the street went through a radical change as mass tourism and cruise ship aligned stores and chains replaced the established local merchants. It did not have to be that way.”
Longtime local Artist John Martini
I tried to sum up the thread of what we were hearing at the time with this post: Reimagining Key West – 10 Things We Should Strive For and 10 Ways To Get There, April 22, 2020. The crux of the story was: a simpler, less crowded, locals-centric Key West, a place where Mom n Pop shops rule; a community that respects, protects and celebrates our natural environment; a culture where creativity and the arts flourish; a veneration for our historic district; stewardship of our history, storied characters and One Human Family spirit; a Main Street that brings back locals; and an island that is easy to get around by biking and a downtown less congested with cars. We went on to importantly add:
“We DO want to share all this with visitors. But we want visitors that can appreciate what our island has to offer on its own terms and merits without the expectation of mass culture or consumption that degrades all we’re trying to preserve, protect and enhance. If visitors can’t respect these terms, we should ask them to go elsewhere.”
An Authentic, Real and Local Focussed Duval & Downtown
Most visitors, to any place, not just Key West, crave an authentic, real place that the locals love. So by catering to those of us who live and work here, and that includes people who live here part-time, you get that real, authentic experience that visitors appreciate. They don’t want stuff they can get at home and they really don’t want tourist trap places either. We need to help local, authentic places thrive.
That means art spaces, galleries, theaters, whimsical shops, bars, restaurants, dance halls, cabarets, food trucks, clothing, shoes, bakeries, butchers, grocery stores and little bodegas and everything anyone can imagine.
Local focussed should also mean bringing more people to downtown to live because more people downtown lets our local businesses thrive all the more. Perhaps with less cruise ship visitors some downtown buildings can be repurposed for living. A good example is that awful parking lot on Duval at United.
And more people living downtown creates the ability to get around by bike, walk and transit. So local focussed means ‘streets for people’ focussed, which makes for a more interesting place, because nobody thinks car-parking is interesting.
On the God Save the Points Travel Blog they write of Key West passing the referenda: “Sustainable tourism is a key new focus in the modern world, but so is the “quality” of the tourism. How much better would a destination be if it could reduce overcrowding by losing 50% of the visitors, while finding another way to bring back 8% of lost money with a fraction of the people? Much travel research done in Santorini, Venice and other popular cruise ports, all signs point to a new era of sustainable travel, with more focus on creating the best travel experience for the guests which make the most positive impact on local communities.”
The local experience trend means many tourists now want to travel like locals, and to immerse themselves in the culture, traditions, and language of a place. As more and more people grow tired of resorts and standard vacations, there has been a shift towards wanting to see the “real” side of the destinations they visit. And this is a trend that is only going to continue growing.
Tourism Tiger
The outpouring of good ideas for our future on the Reimagining Key West Facebook page is heartening. In thinking about what to do next, all one need do is peruse the page and pluck some of the best ideas and discussions. We are indeed lucky to have so many thoughtful, creative and passionate people living in Key West, who care about our One Human Family. While we can’t go back to the 1970’s and 80’s, we can plan for a better future. It just so happens that we have two upcoming opportunities to do just that.
City’s Strategic and Duval Revitalization Plans Offer Opportunity to Reimagine Tourism and Our Downtown
Mayor Johnston has touted the need for a City strategic plan and Duval Street revitalization since she first ran for Mayor two years ago. Thanks to her tenacity, this winter the community will get both projects going. Elisa Levy Consulting will be doing the the City’s Strategic Plan following on the heals of the her firm doing a bang up job on the City’s Covid Recovery Plan. If the Covid Plan’s focus on filling empty storefronts; events, fairs and festivals; outdoor business; direct business consulting and assistance; and communication/marketing/branding is any indication of what’s to come in the Strategic Plan, the ability for locals to reimagine tourism downtown will get a big jump start.
With the hiring of best-in-the-industry consulting team of KCI Technologies and Dover Kohl & Partners, likewise the Duval Street Revitalization Plan offers a similar opportunity for local residents and businesses to reimagine Duval Street as more of a Main Street catering to locals, snowbirds and longer-stay visitors instead of needing to accommodate the crush of cruise ship visitors. What would the physical needs of our streets be with a slightly different focus on sustainable, long-term, more authentic tourism?
What these two processes offer is a mechanism with which we as citizens can began to address a different future without so many cruise ship visitors. So the timing is fortuitous.
The loss of the mass tourism, day trippers, cruise ship crowd to our island will be offset in the long run by a better quality of life for our residents and a cleaner environment that will attract travelers that want unspoiled, more real places that aren’t overwhelmed by mass tourism. It offers us a chance to reset Duval Street and downtown to cater to locals and in the end that’s better for everyone. And THAT’S why the Cruise Ship Referenda passing is such a big freaking deal and why it has to be our #1 story of the year.
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#2: Teri Johnston’s Re-Election Moves Our Issues Forward (January 3, 2021)
#3: Crosstown Greenway Shows Path Forward for Bikes (January 2, 2021)
#4: Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown (December 29, 2020)
#5: Duval and Whitehead Streets Rebuilt and Repaved, But... (December 28, 2020)
#6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes (December 27, 2020)
#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #2. Teri Johnston’s Re-Election Moves Our Issues Forward
Posted on January 2, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton, January 3, 2021
A Covid Recovery Plan, a Strategic Plan, a Duval Street Revitalization Plan and an understanding of and willingness to act bravely on bike, walk, transit and streets for people by our mayor, gives us hope for our little island’s future.
Let’s not sugarcoat this. Electing either of the other candidates in this year’s Mayoral election would have set our City back. Especially for the issues we champion at Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown. In research we did on the candidates records and answers to various questions, we gave the Mayor a B+ grade while giving Mr. Rossi an F and Mr. Haskins a D- (see “Grading the Candidates on Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People: Mayor’s Race;” July 24, 2020). So in our view the Mayor’s re-election is a big freaking deal.
The Mayor’s vision on Duval Street and downtown, public transit, bicycle/pedestrian and parking strategies issues is as progressive, far-reaching and exciting as anything you’d see from better known “bike/walk/transit cities” that get it like Paris, Seattle, Portland, Boulder, Austin and other places we regular showcase on our Facebook page. Her breadth of understanding and depth of knowledge are not often seen by a public official who has so many other issues pressing on her at the moment.
Mayor Johnston Champions Revitalizing Duval Street
The Mayor ran on a platform of revitalizing Duval Street in 2018 and came through by initiating the Mall on Duval pilot project and getting a Duval Street Revitalization Study RFQ through the process. An amazing consultant team has been selected and they are expected to begin work shortly. This is huge! Says the Mayor: “The future of Duval is one that features more convenient, safe modality options for pedestrians, bicycles and similar eco- friendly transportation types. This has been a community request for 20 years that needs to be realized.” We agree.
Mayor Johnston Envisions a Future With Free Transit
In answer to our question about free fares on the Duval Loop and other City routes Mayor Johnston said: ” Yes, the $1 fee for the Loop is a temporary emergency measure in response to a very uncertain budgetary year. I think that the majority of the Commission, including me, would like to offer free public transportation opportunities as we did with our Senior Citizens (60 or older) earlier last year.” She goes on to say: “Free transportation options help make Key West more livable for our work force and reduce congestion on our narrow streets.” We like that the Mayor makes the connection between increased transit use and reducing congestion on our streets.
The Mayor Had Us On Bikes When She Mentioned “The 5 E’s”
Unless you are a bicycle advocate or planner you may not know of The 5 E’s, but Mayor Johnston certainly does. Color us impressed. In answer to our question (#9) about safety on our streets she says: “Yes. We should follow other successful communities by focusing on the 5 e’s: education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering and evaluation. That successful model, coupled with dedicated bicycle lanes and an enforcement component to keep vehicles/ scooters out of these lanes, will encourage safe bicycling. And yes, speed needs to be enforced. “Slow down, this ain’t the mainland” is more than a bumper sticker.“ We are happy to see she mentions the Crosstown Greenway pilot project moving forward in October and agreeing to implement Phase 1 of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
Mayor Johnston Understands Progressive Parking Policies Will Help Alleviate Our Downtown Neighborhoods’ Parking Problems
Parking issues are a prime example of the Mayor being unafraid to lead. Too many times in this City our elected leaders act as if we can have our cake and eat it it too. They think everyone can drive everywhere and park for free or nearly free and the city’s policies reflect this. Mayor Johnston understands how we vastly under price our on-street parking downtown and how this leads to the problems we have, including safety issues for people on bikes. Her willingness to raise the price on parking permits annually, put in zoned parking and enforce the rules shows she wants to make the place better and has the toughness not just to spout happy talk.
The Mayor’s Covid Recovery and Strategic Plans are Groundbreaking
As we’ve agreed City Hall has lacked some focus over years past, the Mayor had us when she started talking about a Strategic Plan. We thought it appropriate that she decided first doing a Covid Recovery Plan and that she got that done in a couple months time. We thought so highly of the Covid Recovery Plan, it comes in at #7 on our Top 10 (Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories for 2020 – #7 Covid Recovery Plan Focuses on Downtown and Business December 25, 2020). Now the same wonderful team that put together the excellent Covid Recovery Plan is embarking on a building a strategic plan for the first time in more than a decade. The goal of the 3 year plan is to engage the community in a collaborative process to identify priorities on a range of things that are critical to the future of the island including, major capital projects, housing, sea level rising, traffic, tourism and the environment.
The Plan’s consultant Alisa Levy tells us, the plan itself will have an annual operational component with tasks and timelines to ensure that the actions are implemented. While the plans are malleable, they follow a general “blue print” for change and growth.
The process of creating the Strategic Plan involves four major steps:
- A Community survey to gather input and priorities;
- The development of the 3 year goals for the plan with a Community Advisory Committee, City Employees and the City Commission;
- The development of an Annual Operational Plan (per year) with timelines and action items, and
- Regular monitoring and evaluation at quarterly workshops with the City Leadership and the Commission.
There will be a communication component to provide the community with regular updates on the plan. The process itself will be participatory, engaging, and will hopefully bring government and the community closer together to meet shared goals.
The collaborative process has the potential to bring our community together and set us on the right path. We understand that the Strategic Plan should have gone through the process and be ready to implemented in time for the next budget cycle. That’s a good thing!
Mayor Johnston Will Continue to Make Our Island a Better Place
We like that the Mayor is a planner, but more importantly she’s a proven doer who’s willing to adjust and iterate as projects meet the reality of hitting the ground. In each of our subject areas, Duval Street, public transit, bicycle/pedestrian and parking issues, Mayor Johnston is leading. The Mayor’s toughness on making hard decisions is an asset. She’s shown in her votes and actions that she’s willing to do the right thing. The re-election of Teri Johnston as our Mayor gives us the best chance to make our little island paradise more bike, walk, transit and streets for people friendly. We need more of the Commissioners to follow her lead. And THAT’s why it is our #2 story of the year.
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#3: Crosstown Greenway Shows Path Forward for Bikes (January 2, 2021)
#4: Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown (December 29, 2020)
#5: Duval and Whitehead Streets Rebuilt and Repaved, But... (December 28, 2020)
#6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes (December 27, 2020)
#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #3: Crosstown Greenway Shows Path Forward for Bikes
Posted on January 1, 2021 Leave a Comment
By Roger McVeigh and Chris Hamilton, January 2, 2021
Last year this item made our list at #7 (2019 Top 10 – #7: Starting the Crosstown Greenway Project, December 23, 2019) because a series of public meetings had been held, grants and partners had been secured and a plan of action put into place. And this year, despite COVID pushing back the timeline by about six months, the project actually got done. Seeing all that green and yellow paint, well it’s beautiful. And it’s a big freaking deal when we get something done and THAT’S why this is our #3 story for the year. That and because it shows a path forward for doing similar work all across the City to make biking easier and safer for all.
What’s the Crosstown Greenway?
The Crosstown Greenway is a safe East/West corridor for bicycles and other transportation modes that spans the island from South Roosevelt Boulevard to Reynolds Street along Duck, Staples and Von Phister Avenues, right through the middle of the City. The Crosstown Greenway has been identified in the City of Key West’s bicycle and pedestrian planning processes since 1996 and was formerly identified as the Crosstown Connector in the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, a 22 month intense planning process that began in May 2017, and was adopted and approved unanimously by the City Commission on March 5, 2019. (See 2019 Top 10 – #1: Adopting a Key West Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, December 31, 2019.)
What is the Crosstown Greenway? Commonly known as a neighborhood greenway or a bike boulevard, this marked bicycle and pedestrian path is a collection of interventions intended to: slow motorist travel speeds; keep car volumes to local traffic only; make crossings safer; add greenery and art; and create a more comfortable route for bicyclists and pedestrians. Interventions that may be considered in neighborhood greenways include new crosswalks and crossbikes, mini traffic circles with planters, signage and branding, asphalt art, curb extensions and chicanes, speed humps, and planters and trees.
The Public Decides What Ideas to Try and Where
The project team has hosted a kickoff public workshop on October 19, 2019, disseminated an online survey to help understand the context of the corridor, visited with neighbors along the corridor to hear their thoughts, and hosted two evenings of public “open houses” to update the public on the feedback and project ideas received. These public engagements have been to identify where along the corridor there are challenges that could benefit from Neighborhood Greenway interventions.
Volunteers Bring Project to Life
On November 20, 2020 through November 22, 2020, over thirty dedicated volunteers and City staff, led by the City’s Multimodal Coordinator, Tim Staub, and the nationally known firm Street Plans, successfully completed Phase I of the Crosstown Greenway Pilot Project. Volunteer activities included things like prepping materials, and measuring, marking, painting, and striping the street.
Phase 1 of the Project is Built
Phase I of the Crosstown Greenway Project included the successful implementation of the following improvements:
Von Phister, George, Staples
A chicane, multiple curb extensions, and bike markings that will help slow cars approach to this intersection and help residents and visitors follow the Greenway onto Staples Avenue
Staples and 3rd
Extra bike parking and shared lane bike markings will support students commuting to school by bike and guide bicyclists’ positioning along the Greenway
Staples and 5th
Curb extensions will help the slow the turns of cars, and shared lane bike markings will help guide bicyclists’ positioning along the Greenway
Staples and 7Th
Shared lane bike markings and “crossbike” markings will help alert cars of crossing bicyclists at this four-way stop
Seidenberg and 12th
An advisory bike lane in the shoulder along 12th St approaching Seidenberg Ave to help bikes safely access the entrance to the path to Kennedy Dr
Reynolds and South
A bike box on Reynolds St at South St will allow bicyclists to queue in front of cars at the signalized intersection, increasing their visibility and giving them priority
City Staff Trained in Doing Bike/Ped Safety Projects
A recognized and important benefit of this Phase I pilot project was the knowledge transfer to volunteer bike advocates and City staff who may now plan to undertake many more similar safety improving bike and pedestrian projects throughout the City at minimal cost. Street Plans is most widely known for its approach called “Tactical Urbanism,” an approach that emphasizes projects that are temporary and removeable, are built with low cost materials, include public input and involvement in installation, and are evaluated for their function and scalability throughout the City.
One of the things we particularly like about this project is the bike box on Reynolds at South Street. A bike box is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that provides bicyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase. Now that we know how to do a bike box we should be installing these at all the signalized intersections downtown where we have bike lanes, including on Southard, Fleming.
Getting This Project Done Give Us Hope
Now that we’ve gotten something done, have staff and volunteers trained, and the public has seen that this is a good way to make our streets safer for all users, we expect more good things to happen. Presumably Phase 2 of the Crosstown Greenway project will be to make some of these interventions more permanent and to move north and make the area where the path crosses Kennedy, the ballfields, Duck Avenue and S. Roosevelt safer. It should also show the path forward on safety improvements, identified in the Bike/Ped Master Plan, to get the green light sooner than later. And THAT’s why this item is so important to bicycling on the island and comes in at #3 on our Top 10 List. We’re hopeful for the future!
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#4: Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown (December 29, 2020)
#5: Duval and Simonton Rebuilt and Repaved, But… (December 28, 2020)
#6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes (December 27, 2020)
#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
KW Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2019 (1)
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Appendix
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Master Plan Phases
Key West #115 in Best Cities for Bikes List, June 10, 2020
Key West, Let’s Radically Speed Up the Implementation of Our Bike/Ped Plan, May 20, 2020
About Roger McVeigh
A 15-year resident of Key West, Roger has been dedicated to public service since retiring in 2006 from a career in public accounting as a Partner with KPMG LLP in Atlanta, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. He’s a graduate of the City of Key West Ambassador Academy (2007) and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys Leadership Success Academy (2009). Roger is active in local government and has served as a Board Member and often Treasurer of a diverse group of nonprofit and civic organizations covering education, social services, recreation and the arts, among others. He’s currently serving on the Advisory Committee for the City of Key West Crosstown Greenway Project, the City of Key West Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Lower Keys Medical Center Board of Trustees.
Roger hails from Knoxville, Tennessee, attended both Emory University and Georgia State University and received his BBA in Accounting from Georgia State in 1983.Roger lives with his beautiful wife Cindy, and their two chihuahuas, Oreo and Cocoa in Old Town. He loves his adopted home of Key West, enjoys travel, hiking, supporting University of Tennessee Volunteer sports teams, and endurance sports including swim/bike/run events.
Key West, Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #4: Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown
Posted on December 28, 2020 2 Comments
By Chris Hamilton, December 29, 2020
From a Promise by Mayor Johnston to a Full Blow Project
The Mayor ran on a platform of revitalizing Duval Street in 2018 and came through by initiating the Mall on Duval pilot project in 2019 and getting a Duval Street Revitalization Study RFQ through the process in 2020. In last year’s 2019 Top 10 countdown we celebrated #8: Duval Street Revitalization Help Sought Via RFQ as the Request For Qualification was released in November of 2019. That was a start. Since then an amazing consultant team, KCI Technologies Inc.; Dover Kohl & Partners; BusinessFlare, was selected at the August 19, 2020 City Commission meeting and City staff has been negotiating a final contract and scope of work since. With any luck, early this winter the project will officially begin. And that’s a big freaking deal for our little island paradise. Especially as this consultant team is full of rock stars from the industry. Their work in other places has been transformative.
According to the City’s Request for Qualifications the goal of the project is to “renovate and revitalize Duval Street to increase opportunities for public use as an iconic civic space for leisure, commerce and tourism; address the infrastructure which will allow for reasonable maintenance frequency and reduce costs to businesses and taxpayers; improve safety for pedestrians and vehicles; and maintain mobility for desired transit operations for all users.”
“We all love our main street and want to see it prosper and bring our community together” said Mayor Johnston in championing the RFQ:
“Mall on Duval brought locals downtown who haven’t been there in years, prompting a conversation about what improvements need to be made, including widening sidewalks — they range from 8 to 18 feet — and adding planters and benches. There are street designs that have the sidewalk on the same level, and you divide it off by concrete planters. The street can be cobblestone and the sidewalks can be different materials. … We also need shade, benches and water fountains.”
Mayor Teri Johnston in 2019
A Rare Opportunity
The Duval Street Revitalization effort is one of those rare occasions; I predict it will be a historic moment in the life of the City. Done well, it will have a positive impact on every person on the island. This is a chance to address the local economy, the street design, safety, development regulation and historic preservation, all in the same room.”
Victor Brandon Dover of Dover Kohl & Partners, part of the consultant team.
This video, recommended by Victor Brandon Dover of Dover Kohl & Partners, part of the consultant team, lays out how we’ll tackle the project:
Street design doesn’t need to stop with the transportation features in the public rights-of-way. It should be a holistic way of thinking about the City, involving and uniting the whole ensemble: buildings, public space, landscape, the community’s brand image and mobility at the same time.”
Victor Brandon Dover of Dover Koh, part of the consultant team.
A Comprehensive Project
Here’s what the project will look like:
A Vision for Duval Street
The vision for Duval Street will ultimately come from we the people who live here and the businesses along the street. In the consultant’s qualifications they teased out a few things for us to consider. We like the notion of Duval is three streets with one name. Lower, Middle and Upper Duval each have their own vibe. Ideas such as innovative tree planting systems, pavers with curbless sidewalks, retractable bollards, innovative tree grates and trench drains present opportunities for doing things differently. The possibility of one-way blocks to narrow the vehicular path to expand the pedestrian zone and tree cover and additional benches, cafe’ seating and art are the essence of “streets for people.”
Our Consultant’s Have Done Amazing Work in Other Places
KCI/Dover Kohl cited a number of similar projects that should make us feel good about this project. To name a few there’s Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Music Row in Nashville, Las Olas Boulevard and Breakers Row, in Fort Lauderdale, and Lake Worth Beach Design Guidelines to name just a few. Their list of clients is a who’s who of placemaking. We at Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown have been following the planning Facebook page of Dover Kohl for a long time and love their point of view. KCI Technologies is the kind of engineering and construction firm that will help make our project real and environmentally and sustainably sound.
Hope for Downtown
If you’ve been following our Facebook page and blog you know we are passionate about this project and have lot of expectations for doing better by our main street and historic downtown. At this point everything is conjecture until the people that live here and the businesses that front Duval and the surrounding streets get to chime in. But the bonafides of the consulting team and their approach give us hope for a better future. The fact that the Mayor and City Hall are behind this and willing to invest in our downtown is grounds for optimism. THAT’s why this story is #4 on our Top 10 list. It’s that important. Had the process been further along it would have been higher on our list. But that leaves room for perhaps making it #1 next year – if we can get to a plan. We can only hope!
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- Duval Street – We See the Future and it Could Start Now June 24, 2020
- Duval Street Revitalization Moves Forward June 10, 2020
- Does Duval Street/Downtown Need a Business Improvement District? June 4, 2020
- Can We Pedestrianize Duval and Still Allow Vehicles? May 28, 2020
- City of Key West – Let Our Restaurants Take the Streets! May 6, 2020
- 20 Parklets on Duval in 2020 April 28, 2020
- Reimagining Key West – 3 Quick Wins for Revitalizing Duval Street April 24, 2020
#5: Duval and Simonton Rebuilt and Repaved, But… (December 28, 2020)
#6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes (December 27, 2020)
#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories for 2020 – #5: Duval and Simonton Rebuilt and Repaved. But…
Posted on December 27, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Chris Hamilton, December 28, 2020
Whether you drive, ride a bike, or or get around on a scooter, there’s just something so very nice about new, smooth, clean pavement. Right? So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when our City rebuilds two major arteries, Duval Street and Simonton Street, as well as some adjacent blocks, in the heart of downtown, all in one year, that it is a big freakin deal. Especially in a city that isn’t known for good pavement.
So when the City shutdown in late March, the Mayor swung into action and moved up the Duval Street repaving project, that wasn’t supposed to happen until late summer. This was no ordinary repaving project as it included literally tearing up and rebuilding much of the street and sidewalk intersections before it could be scrapped, paved and repainted.
“The project includes upgrading curb ramps and driveway cuts to ADA standards, milling, paving, repairing trench failures and redoing pavement markings.”
City spokeswoman Alyson Crean in a City press release at the end of March
The Feel Good Story of the Year
Wall Street, Greene Street, and Front Street were included in the project. Simonton Street was already slated to start at the same time. Since the Duval project was being done between Wall and Truman Streets, the Mayor asked Public Works to paint the curbs, re-stripe the streets, paint the streetlights and clean the sidewalks between the new Duval Pocket Park and Truman on the upper end where rebuilding had been done previously. That way the entire main street, from the Gulf to the Atlantic would look brand spanking new.
Every few days from the end of March through July we walked the length of Duval and documented the project in pictures. Each time we posted progress pictures on Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval/Historic Downtown Facebook page we’d get more and more positive reactions from citizens and Key West fans around the world. These posts remain our most popular ever. Seeing dozens of workers out there when everything else was shut down, remaking our main street, was a shot of positive news everyone needed and applauded. Yes, it was a big freaking deal that this project and Simonton Street got done. Got done quickly. And on budget and on time. Yay Key West.
But What About Streets for People?
So as much as we applaud the City for getting something done, that needed to be done so badly, we have to admit that we’re a little disappointed in the final outcome. Why? Because the City repainted the streets EXACTLY AS THEY WERE BEFORE. No new bicycle lanes or bike boxes at the intersections. No new pedestrian refuge. No traffic calming. No switching out some private car storage (parking) to put in more room for parklets or cafes or trees or art or space for benches, to say nothing of simply installing wider sidewalks in some places to cope with the crowds. The opportunity to try something bold was completely missed by everyone in City Hall. We’ve rebuilt a car-centric main street and Simonton Street in the heart of our little walkable, historic downtown. That’s just sad. Had ANYTHING different been done this would have been higher up on our list. As it is we’re happy for the smooth pavement. And THAT’s why it is our #5 story of the year.
We think this story in particular lends itself to pictures, especially as we took hundreds of them during the construction. So follow along below as we share a few of our Facebook posts and pictures to tell the story. In most cases you can click on pictures to enlarge them or link back to the original Facebook posts to find even more pictures. It was indeed an amazing project to witness.
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#6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes (December 27, 2020)
#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
Some ways to make those streets more bike, walk, transit and streets for people friendly:
Key West #115 in Best Cities for Bikes List, June 10, 2020
Key West, Let’s Radically Speed Up the Implementation of Our Bike/Ped Plan, May 20, 2020
Can We Pedestrianize Duval and Still Allow Vehicles?, May 28, 2020
20 Parklets on Duval in 2020, April 28, 2020
Reimagining Key West – 3 Quick Wins for Revitalizing Duval Street, April 24, 2020
#5: Duval and Simonton Rebuilt and Repaved In Pictures
Project Gets Underway With Rebuilding at the End of March
Still Rebuilding at the end of April
Rebuilding is Followed By Scraping and Patching
Is Followed by Repaving/Laying New Asphalt
And Then Some Paint
Our World Famous Rainbow Crosswalks Are Redone
And Then the Cars Return
Key West Bike, Walk, Transit and Streets for People Top 10 Stories of 2020 – #6: Key West Transit Abandons Old Meandering Routes. But…
Posted on December 26, 2020 2 Comments
By Chris Hamilton, December 27, 2020
Orange, Red, Blue or Green? Inbound or outbound? Is it Sunday? Is this clockwise or counterclockwise? Whichever route you chose, it was not easy to figure out where you would end up. Meandering. Circuitous. Serpentine. Snaking. Winding. Twisty. No tortuous, that’s it. That’s how one would describe Key West Transit’s old bus routes. Take a look for yourself:
The Old “City” Routes
Could YOU figure out how to use the system if you needed to go somewhere? Unless your life depends on it you likely just gave up and didn’t take the bus. We’ve long advocated for an end to these rambling, confusing, seemingly aimless routes with their terrible frequency to be replaced by a simplified, more direct and more frequent transit system.
First a Look Back With the Promise of a Better Future
The City’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan (TDP), adopted in late 2019, is an ambitious, progressive plan in that direction. The TDP promises a system of “Loops” (Duval, Old Town, Midtown, New Town, Stock Island) to be connected by a few simple “Connector” routes; Airport (along S. Roosevelt), North (along N. Roosevelt), KWIC (Key West Intermodal Connector on Stock Island), and the Lower Keys Shuttle). All routes, Loops and Connectors are to run on 15-20 minute frequencies and look like this:
What We’re Getting Today
When Key West Transit began operations again on May 16, after having been out of service since the beginning of the shutdown in late March, they quietly reemerged with just two City routes, North and South Lines, instead of the four Red, Orange, Blue and Green. Here they are below. Note these lines were slightly tinkered with to go into Bahama Village on October 12.
To their credit, the Lines do look more straightforward than the previous Red, Orange, Blue and Green routes. They seem to simply and directly get passengers from many points north on Stock Island and in New Town to downtown where they can connect to the Duval Loop if they need to go elsewhere. So yes, this is progress!
But the Glass is Half Full
While we applaud the fact that Key West Transit ripped the bandage off quickly and just abandoned the old routes, we are disappointed in the frequency of service and the lack of any transparency and communications regarding when things will change.
Each line only has 10 trips in per day and 10 trips out. That’s 80 to 90 minutes between each bus at any given point. To top it off, the last trips out from downtown leave at 7:20 pm. And service is even less on the weekend. THIS isn’t going to attract people out of their cars. The level of service is simply not adequate for anyone contemplating this for work or school or any kind of reliable transportation. Trips need to be at least every 15-20 minutes, like on the Duval Loop.
If the City is serious about battling climate change and helping our environment, about affordable living (housing + transportation costs), equity for all its citizens, not just those with the ability to afford to drive cars, and with helping our economy prosper, we need a public transit system that people would want to ride.
We have a model in the Duval Loop. It is Simple, Frequent and FREE and people love and use it. 410,000 trips were taken on the Duval Loop in 2019, more than the Red, Orange, Blue, Green Routes and Lower Keys Shuttle combined. The formula needs to be replicated on the new City North and South lines. Or get moving more quickly on implementing the Loops and Connectors model in the TDP Plan. We also would implore Key West transit to provide map and schedule information at every bus stop on the New North and South Lines, upgrade their outdated website, institute a real marketing program and be more transparent and communicate when all these things are going to happen.
We applaud Key West Transit for making some progress and hope for more. And THAT’S why this story comes in at #6 on our Top 10 List.
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#7: Covid Recovery Plan’s Focus on Open Streets and Downtown (December 26, 2020)
#8: Some Progress on E-Bikes and Scooters Ordinance (December 23, 2020)
#9: FREE Fare on Duval Loop for Visitors is Back! (December 22, 2020)
#10: The Cow Key Bridge Carmaggedon That Wasn’t (December 21, 2020)
Key West TDP Draft Report (Large File)
Here’s a Handy Web Page to Bookmark Bus Routes in Key West
Friends of Car-Free Key West Getting Around Key West Guide – Bus
