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Bike Pensacola with Pensacola Community Action Network (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
The Gonzalez Street Shareway in Pensacola is a wide, busy road dominated by cars. To demonstrate how the thoroughfare could accommodate both vehicles and pedestrians, Bike Pensacola conducted a one-day demonstration of traffic calming features. Bike Pensacola fabricated traffic circles and temporarily narrowed the roadway from four to two lanes. To test out the traffic control measures, about 300 bicyclists participated in a slow ride along the Shareway, cycling between three Pensacola parks. Additionally, Bike Pensacola partnered with local businesses and organizations to bring a local art market to the shareway including a sidewalk book sale, food trucks, self-guided walking tours and a scavenger hunt.
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Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The project will create temporary, protected bike lanes and hold group rides to introduce the community to this new infrastructure.
Kapolei, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: New curb extensions on Kopolei's Papipi Road not only help local children safely navigate their route to school, they also remind passersby of their rich Hawaiian history and culture. Over the past five years, daily traffic on the road increased 50 percent, with many drivers exceeding the posted speed limit. To calm traffic, Hawaii's Blue Zones Project installed bulb outs at an intersection, which safely extend the sidewalk into the street. This shortens the street crossing distance for pedestrians and makes them more visible to drivers. To make the curb extensions even more noticeable, volunteers used paint to depict limu in shades of gold and green on the pavement. Limu are edible, underwater plants -- a vital component of Hawaiian cuisine and ceremonies for generations.
St. Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Territorial Road in St. Paul is a busy arterial, with dozens of heavy trucks passing through every hour. High vehicle speeds pose a hazard for residents, many of whom are older adults and people with disabilities. This project set out to improve safety and beautify two intersections near the local light rail station. To do this, the St. Anthony Community Council installed artistic benches with planters, as well as a wall mural depicting an owl. Additionally, a local artist painted a Dakota-inspired design on a crosswalk, making it more visible to passing drivers.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Pensacola, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: This project built twotiny houses. One housed a low-income older adult, the other became a model home to educate the community about the ways tiny houses can help alleviate the city's severe housing shortage.
Pensacola, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Keep Pensacola Beautiful's mission is to beautify public parks in low-income neighborhoods. The nonprofit launched its Harmony Park program in Englewood Park with the installation of three interactive musical instruments -- two types of xylophones and a colorful drum set. This created an unusual, educational opportunity for play for children at the neighboring Boys and Girls Club, who benefit from music lessons at the site. KPB's executive director Sigrid Solgard stressed that no musical experience was necessary to play the instruments. The notes are supposed to sound good together in any combination, she said.
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