Meet Mary Anne Koos from the Florida Department of Transportation Roadway Design Office. Mary Anne is the special projects coordinator (which means she's a catch-all leader that works on a wide variety of "things" -- like me!). The state of Florida was one of the first states to get involved in implementation of U.S. Bicycle Routes and Mary Anne is playing a leading role in helping to develop strategies from which other states can benefit.
How did you first hear about the US Bicycle Route System? "Hmm, seems like so long ago now. I’m not sure if it was something I came across on Adventure Cycling’s web site or the interest shared by Florida’s State Roadway Design Engineer, David O’Hagan, who represents Florida on several AASHTO* committees. It was a natural progression from the work we had already been doing trying to upgrade the Adventure Cycling routes that cross Florida with bike lanes and paved shoulders and to find alternate routes for touring cyclists during some of Florida’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Ivan."
What made you want to get involved? "I love to ride my bicycle to places I’ve never been!.. and sometimes when I don’t even know where I’ll end up."
How are you involved? "I chair a working group of bicycle and pedestrian coordinators from the Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin DOT’s together with members of the East Coast Greenway, American Public Works Association, and Adventure Cycling. We are developing route criteria for the U.S. Bicycle Routes. Byron Rushing, with the Georgia DOT, agreed to work with us when we approached him at a training on Pedestrian Safety Audits that FHWA had sponsored. Tom Huber, with the Wisconsin DOT has done such good work on evaluating rural roads, that we thought we’d expand our partnership. Florida and Georgia’s quiet rural roads are some of our most perfect places to ride."
What does your job entail? "I work in the Roadway Design Office of the Florida Department of Transportation, so the majority of my time is spent on developing and refining design criteria, managing research projects on bicycle and pedestrian facilities, training my co-workers, consultants and the public, and responding to questions or suggestions. I also chair Florida’s Vulnerable User’s Emphasis Area of our Strategic Highway Safety Plan, trying to figure out how to make walking and cycling safer and more enjoyable."
What corridors is Florida working on? "We are working on Routes 1 and 15, which connect Florida with Georgia."
Where do they go? "Route 1 follows the Atlantic coast of Florida from the Jacksonville/Fernandina Beach area to Key West. Route 15 follows Florida’s gulf coast, entering Florida near Madison, and following the gulf coast to Tampa Bay and then Miami. Both routes connect with Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier Route across Florida’s panhandle. We’re also thinking about a cross-state link that could include the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, and connect Jacksonville to the Tampa Bay area."
What made you want to get involved? "I love to ride my bicycle to places I’ve never been!.. and sometimes when I don’t even know where I’ll end up."
How are you involved? "I chair a working group of bicycle and pedestrian coordinators from the Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin DOT’s together with members of the East Coast Greenway, American Public Works Association, and Adventure Cycling. We are developing route criteria for the U.S. Bicycle Routes. Byron Rushing, with the Georgia DOT, agreed to work with us when we approached him at a training on Pedestrian Safety Audits that FHWA had sponsored. Tom Huber, with the Wisconsin DOT has done such good work on evaluating rural roads, that we thought we’d expand our partnership. Florida and Georgia’s quiet rural roads are some of our most perfect places to ride."
What does your job entail? "I work in the Roadway Design Office of the Florida Department of Transportation, so the majority of my time is spent on developing and refining design criteria, managing research projects on bicycle and pedestrian facilities, training my co-workers, consultants and the public, and responding to questions or suggestions. I also chair Florida’s Vulnerable User’s Emphasis Area of our Strategic Highway Safety Plan, trying to figure out how to make walking and cycling safer and more enjoyable."
What corridors is Florida working on? "We are working on Routes 1 and 15, which connect Florida with Georgia."
Where do they go? "Route 1 follows the Atlantic coast of Florida from the Jacksonville/Fernandina Beach area to Key West. Route 15 follows Florida’s gulf coast, entering Florida near Madison, and following the gulf coast to Tampa Bay and then Miami. Both routes connect with Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier Route across Florida’s panhandle. We’re also thinking about a cross-state link that could include the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, and connect Jacksonville to the Tampa Bay area."
How does Florida DOT support you? "They give me the flexibility to work on the US Bicycle Routes, it’s nice to get away from manuals once in a while. Plus there is so much beyond the US Bike Routes that we learn by working across state borders and with non-profits. It’s been a new forum for collaboration."
How does Adventure Cycling Association support your work? "By providing a superb web site that we use and can refer others to when they’d like to learn more about the Routes, serving as a sounding board as we work through issues and especially sharing with us what they’ve learned over the years in developing and supporting long distance cycling routes. Ginny Sullivan is just great to work with, and Adventure Cycling’s Florida tour with Jim Sayer reminded many of us of the good times we’ve had with friends and family on our bikes."
What is your long-term hope for this national system? "For more people to have as much fun as I’ve had on my bike, to share with them the best parts of our country, and to help me keep cycling till I’m 100."
Right on Mary Anne, I hope to be right there with you.
photo courtesy of Mary Anne Koos
*AASHTO is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
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BUILDING THE U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM is posted by Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, and features news and updates related to the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System. The USBRS project is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by a task force under the auspices of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Members of the task force include officials and staff from state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration, and nonprofits like the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
BUILDING THE U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM is posted by Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, and features news and updates related to the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System. The USBRS project is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by a task force under the auspices of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Members of the task force include officials and staff from state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration, and nonprofits like the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
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