6 mega trends and the future of bicycling in NE Florida

Andy Clarke, of the Toole Design Group team, recently made a presentation at the North Florida Bicycle Club (NFBC) called 'Six Mega Trends and the future of Bicycling in Northeast Florida.' Here’s a summary of the main points, courtesy of the City of Jacksonville.

<h1>3. Climate change is all around us.</h1>

Even if the best case scenario for autonomous vehicles comes to pass, we are still going to experience dramatic climatic events in the coming decades that raise sea levels by up to six feet in Jacksonville (flooding Ever Bank Stadium, just as one simple example). The transportation sector accounts for at least one-third of greenhouse gases, so increasing the percentage of trips made by walking and bicycling is going to be an essential strategy for all levels of government. That doesn’t mean we’re going to try and force everyone to give up their cars and ride 30 miles each way to work – besides, as it turns out, only 16% of all trips nationally are to and from work. What we DO need to do, is make our neighborhoods and important local retail and commercial centers a lot more bike-friendly and walkable so that more shopping, school, recreation and social trips are made by bike or foot.