by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
A topic of discussion for over a year, wayfinding signage downtown may finally become a reality.
In a meeting with design consultant Paul Basham this week, representatives from the Downtown Development Authority, Downtown Vision, Inc. and the City Council got a look at the signs.
Envisioned as a tool that could direct traffic to and through the Northbank and Southbank, the signs are loosely based on a series of colors and corresponding districts.
Basham’s designs also calls for smaller pedestrian kiosks — they may be installed at Hemming Plaza and the Landing — that would help foot traffic locate the new Main Library, City Hall and Veterans Memorial Arena.
“I think it’s very important for us to be able to tell pedestrians where they need to go when they come down here,” said Council member Suzanne Jenkins. “People don’t realize it, but they make up a big part of downtown.”
A pet project of Jenkins for some time, the plan has endured several drafts and various dead ends.
In February, plans to color code wayfinding signs were temporarily derailed after the Florida Department of Transportation issued a statement saying State road signage would have to remain a standard, uniform green.
James Scott, a traffic operations engineer with the FDOT, said: “From what I understand, the Federal Manual was designed to create consistency from city to city, especially on State roads. It just so happens downtown Jacksonville is heavily populated with State roads.”
Main, Ocean and Union streets — each is pivotal in the proposed wayfinding plan — are State roads.
“To me, that’s just ridiculous,” said Jenkins. “We understand they’re State roads, but it’s our downtown.
“Why should we have to be so homogenized with everybody else?”
Slightly bending FDOT policy, Basham said the color coding plan may be taken as an exception.
“We’ve been in contact with the DOT and it’s possible something like this might work,” he said.
Jenkins said she would do her best to add “political pressure.”
“I’ve already spoken to (City Council president) Elaine Brown because she is our delegate to the League of Cities,” she said. “I think by getting this issue out there, we can reclaim so of our home rule.
“It’s not like it’s a law, it’s matter of making a policy call.”
Providing the plan gets FDOT approval, Jenkins said she would lead efforts to find the money to pay for it.
“We’re going to have several more meetings about this,” she said. “But I’m comfortable with the designs I’m seeing, and when it’s time, I’ll file the necessary legislation.”