NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — Neptune Beach City officials are expected to hold a workshop to discuss the Penman Road project.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
It could bring major infrastructure upgrades to Neptune and Jax Beach.
Penman Rd goes through Neptune and Jax Beach.
According to their website, some of the proposed improvements would be roundabouts, medians, multi-use paths, sidewalks on the east side of the road, and pedestrian crosswalks.
Mitch Kaufmann has lived at the beaches his whole life and moved to Penman Road, about four years ago, he says this is a bad idea.
“By putting a median in the road, and only having two lanes emergency vehicles don’t have a way around sometimes,” said Kaufmann.
Kaufmann says it’s hard enough to get out of his driveway daily because of the traffic, adding these upgrades would be a recipe for disaster.
“Pretty much all day you are lucky to get out of your driveway easily and that’s all day. If you live here, you know you must jam out in the road every chance you get,” said Kaufmann.
Kaufmann agrees that there should be a safe pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
He adds not many people walk or bike on Penman Road because of the traffic.
“There is not enough pedestrian, and bicycle traffic around here to even warrant this project. There are other streets that are a lot safer than Penman Road,” said Kaufmann.
We did ask Kaufmann, what does he believe should be done to this road instead.
“One possibility is there is already a sidewalk on the Westside of Penman Road. With plenty of easement space between the road and the sidewalk,” said Kaufmann.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
