Holiday Gathering
Sunday, December 7
Cypress and Grove, 1001 NW 4th St
Join your fellow cyclists for a holiday gathering at the Cypress & Grove Brewing Company at 5 pm on Sunday, December 7th. Sign up and see more details in the Members Area.
Hands Free Florida (HFF) petition drive
We write to call everyone's attention to the Hands Free Florida (HFF) petition drive. The petition asks the Florida State Legislature to pass a law to make holding mobile devices while driving illegal. Hands-free means that you cannot hold your mobile phone while driving. If Hands-Free Florida is adopted, one can still use GPS and make phone calls (using hands-free technology common in contemporary vehicles) while driving, but the mobile phone cannot be in one’s hand while driving.
Statistics on traffic crashes make plain the importance of a hands-free law for reducing distracted driving. Of the many traffic crashes in Florida, two thirds (2/3) are caused by distracted driving.
Distracted driving is six (6) times more dangerous than drinking and driving. Simply holding a mobile device in one’s hand is four (4) times more likely to lead to a crash than if one has both hands free.
Florida has a “no texting while driving law” but it is very hard to enforce. Thirty-four (34) other US states have passed enforceable hands-free laws. These are easier for law enforcement to enforce; they need only observe the mobile device in someone’s hand while driving. In the first 12 states to pass hands-free laws, traffic fatalities dropped within months.
A hands-free law will make traffic safer for everyone: motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. You can find more information and sign the petition here: https://www.handsfreeflorida.org/.
Thanks for considering this and taking action not only by signing the petition, but by sharing it with others, and contacting your state representatives to urge their support.
Stephen Perz, President, GCC
Dean Mimms, Vice President, GCC
Monteocha Road Work
As part of the county’s $250 million 10-year plan, Alachua County Public Works will begin the resurfacing of Northeast/Northwest 156th Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.
Learn more about Alachua County’s road projects. https://tinyurl.com/2skn8548
During construction, drivers can expect lane closures from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Motorists are advised to exercise caution when traveling through the construction area and to seek alternate routes whenever possible.
Preferred Materials, Inc. has been contracted to complete the $3 million project, which includes resurfacing approximately 3.8 miles of roadway from County Road 231 to County Road 225. The project will also include improvements to side streets, driveways and drainage culverts to enhance roadway safety and durability.
“Thanks to Alachua County voters who approved the Wild Spaces Public Places Infrastructure Sales Tax and the historic levels of funding that it provides for roads, projects like this are possible,” said Alachua County Construction Inspection Superintendent Aaron Burke.
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims