Less than a week after classes started, a UF student cycling down NW 13th Street got hit by a pickup truck and transported to UF Shands with severe injuries.  

It’s another unwanted data point for Gainesville’s Vision Zero team to add, and it corresponds with a trend presented to the City Commission earlier in August—73% of fatal and severe crashes happen within 17% of roadways.  

Main student corridors along 13th Street and University Avenue fall squarely in the city’s sights for change, but the design plans for these corridors remain under study as Gainesville navigates Vision Zero objectives with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) standards. 

“Significant coordination with FDOT has taken place over time as both the city and FDOT share a common goal of increasing safety for all users of the corridor; feasible solutions are being developed to address safety, accessibility and equity,” Debbie Leistner, the city of Gainesville’s transportation planning and parking manager, said in emailed comments.  

Gainesville only has design control of city streets. Alachua County and FDOT manage county and state roads, usually major corridors like University Avenue, 13^th Street, 34^th Street, Archer Road, Waldo Road and 39^th Avenue.  

These larger, collector roadways make up the vast majority of the 17% of the roadway where the accidents happen. It’s Gainesville’s high-risk network of roads-pictured to the right. 

“It seems more doable now that we can target the enforcement and infrastructure investment on these roads,” said Karla Rodrigues-Silva, Gainesville’s Vision Zero coordinator, to the City Commission at an Aug. 8 update. 

Since starting Vison Zero in 2018, Rodriques-Silva said the city has seen a reduction in fatal and severe crashes. Gainesville staff also predicted the yearly decrease needed to hit zero pedestrian or cyclist deaths or severe crashes by 2040, the overall goal.  

Last year, Gainesville reported 90 crashes resulting in deaths or severe injury, three below the predicted trendline.   

The city has implemented seven Vision Zero infrastructure improvements, including the $18.8 million expansion of SW 62nd Boulevard and converting roads near UF to one-way traffic. Other projects, like sidewalk improvements and gaps, have been funded but not completed.  

However, the costs of roadway construction continue to escalate.  

The federal government sent a $8 million grant to Gainesville for the University Avenue projects. The city has also set aside $2 million for Vision Zero projects—$1.25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and $750,000 in general fund dollars. 

“Due to construction cost increases since the grant application was submitted, the grant allocation is insufficient to cover the full limits of the project,” Leistner said.  

Instead of one long stretch of road under study, the project now has an A, B and C segment. The section just north of UF’s campus along University Avenue, the A segment, has received several changes in the last two years with widened sidewalks remaining as an option but unfunded. 

Leistner said the next portion could use the feasibility study findings for a section of University Avenue east of Waldo Road. The changes would include protected bicycle facilities, median modifications, enhancements to crossings and the addition of midblock crossings.   

Planned changes for the section immediately east of 13th Street, segment B, include removing turn lanes and allowing only one-way traffic on smaller side streets. 

Gainesville staff updated the City Commission on Vision Zero projects on Aug. 8. The commissioners passed a motion directing staff to discuss lowering speed limits on state roads with FDOT and to research the possibility of red light cameras.  

Mayor Harvey Ward highlighted a point from the presentation. City-managed streets make up 50% of the road network within Gainesville but only 23% of the fatal and severe injury crashes.  

He said the city needs to have discussions and ensure residents know that most severe crashes happen on roads not managed by Gainesville even though the injuries and deaths happen inside city limits. 

He said the city needs partners to implement Vision Zero. A sentiment reinforced by Rodrigues-Silva. 

“State partners and Alachua County partners, they are very important, and we coordinate a lot of investment with them,” she said. “We need them onboard on our initiatives.” 

Since starting Vision Zero, Gainesville has  

• Added three miles of bike lanes with another 19 miles programmed. 

• Added 1.2 miles of trails with another 12 miles programmed. 

• Added 1.2 miles of sidewalks with another 7 miles programmed. 

• Installed eight crossings with another 24 programmed.  

• Garnered more than $10 million in state, federal funding for joint projects with FDOT, Alachua County, UF and the MTPO.