Closing Bayfront Parkway?
Pensacola City Councilwoman Megan Pratt has raised the idea of closing Bayfront Parkway on weekends to create a venue for public access to the waterfront. She cites the example of Memorial Drive in Boston, which is closed to vehicular traffic each Sunday from April to November and opened up to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Fellow Council member Sam Hall has chimed in with his support, posting a video of the Ciclovía in Bogota, Colombia, in which main streets are opened up to bicyclists, and events like free aerobics lessons are staged in the city’s parks. Both the Boston and Bogota events have been successful year after year.
Progressive Pensacola spoke yesterday to Councilman Larry B. Johnson, who also expressed his support for Councilwoman Pratt’s idea, going a step further to advocate permanently reducing Bayfront Parkway to two lanes and redeveloping the freed space with public access and perhaps residential development. When Bayfront Parkway was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan, then-State Rep. Holly Benson (incidentally Councilwoman Pratt’s sister) suggested rebuilding Bayfront Parkway as a two-lane rather than four-lane road, but the idea didn’t pan out.
Progressive Pensacola supports programs that bring more people down to the waterfront, and this idea seems to be a natural progression from City-sponsored events like Sunsets at Plaza de Luna and Live after Five. Imagine taking the kids down to Bayfront Parkway on a weekend afternoon and biking or walking with them next to beautiful Pensacola Bay without worrying about automobile traffic. There could be live music and kid’s activities to round out the experience. Afterward, the family could enjoy a picnic in Admiral Mason Park, or instead sit down for a meal at one of downtown Pensacola’s great restaurants.
It’s an idea worth exploring.
Links
- Megan Pratt: “Opening our Bayfront to Pedestrians, Cyclists, and family Activities on Weekends”
- Sam Hall: “This is something…”
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If I recall, it wasn’t that the idea didn’t gain traction. Most people were in favor of it, and it was even in the master plan created by Ray Gindroz et al — but the DOT refused to allow it because of port traffic or some such reason. I could be mistaken, but I’m not sure it’s up to the city.
Well, yeah, it’s not up to the City. I’ll change “gain traction”… I was just looking for a phrase to mean “didn’t happen”, haha.
All great ideas, but once again Pensacola has no comprehensive plan. Plans change with the wind and the whims of the council.
The city has spent $$$$$$$$ and has just finished pedestrian crosswalks on Bayfront and new sidewalks and additional curbing.
While this work was going on, the last council, including some of the current members, were voting to donate the park area at memorial park for a rentention pond to a developer. They also voted to vacate a city street in that area and give it to the developer. Where is that project today- DOA?
Call the consultants, planners, and architects. Back to the drawing board, again.
That area needs more water retention capacity. Several years ago the city took initial steps to convert the field at Admiral Mason Park into a holding pond, but didn’t do it for lack of funding. When the Hawkshaw developers offered to foot the bill, of COURSE the city council was receptive.
Gindroz plan included re-opening Government Street from 9th Avenue, a great idea but that plan didn’t happen either.
What happened?
Not sure, but we should really do this.
Not sure either, but Bob Snow, former owner of Rosies’ said closing government isolated the Seville area.
He also was famous for saying there was nothing wrong with Pensacola that a million people wouldn’t fix.