Jamie Krzeminski, P.E.
Jamie Krzeminski is a senior transportation engineer at HDR Engineering, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. Krzeminski ’s passion is working to promote the concept of “complete streets”, or streets that accommodate the needs of all roadway users, no matter their age or ability, into planning and engineering projects. He has successfully worked with both public and private clients across the country on projects ranging from intersection and corridor-level multimodal improvement projects to region-wide bicycle and pedestrian master plans.
As a regular bicycle commuter and recreational cyclist, he brings a true cyclist’s perspective to his work, which adds to his credibility with clients and advocates. Krzeminski is a charter member of the Bike/Walk Central Florida Board of Directors; a past Chairman of the City of Winter Park, Florida’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Board; an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Pedestrian and Bicycle Council; and is certified to teach bicycle safety and education courses as a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) for the League of American Bicyclists. Krzeminski is a graduate of the University of Florida (where he raced on and was President of Team Florida, the University of Florida cycling team), and is a registered Professional Engineer and certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer.
Why are you devoting yourself to this cause?
I am a big believer in making our streets safe for users of all ages and abilities. If our streets are safe, accommodating and inviting for children, seniors, and those with disabilities, they will work for everyone. With me having parents in their 70s and an 8-year old son, accommodating people on both ends of the age spectrum are always in my mindset. Unfortunately in Central Florida, we have a ways to go – it seems like there’s hardly a day that goes by when you don’t hear of a crash or fatality involving a non-motorized user on one of our roadways, and it’s heartbreaking to hear about these incidents. However, by addressing this issue from many angles – from engineering roads that encourage slower speeds, to educating motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, to working with many community partners such as law enforcement – I believe we can make Central Florida a much safer place for people walking and riding bikes.
How many times did you ride a bicycle in the past year?
Nearly 250 times – that total includes recreational/group road rides, biking to work, and rides with my family. I ride to work as often as I can, typically about 3 to 4 days a week. It’s a relatively short trip of just over 3 miles that only takes a handful of minutes longer than driving. Also, my son and I try to ride to his school (a 2-mile ride) at least one morning a week.
What city do you look to as a model for safe streets and courteous road users?
I took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia about 10 years ago and was very impressed with how courteous the drivers were there. Drivers would slow down and yield even before my wife and I would get to a crossing, sometimes stopping when we were near a crosswalk but not even intending to cross the street! Victoria is very active with people walking and riding bikes everywhere, it was easy and safe to get around without a motor vehicle, and is a great model for Central Florida to aspire to. In particularly, if we could even get close to their level of driver courtesy towards people walking and riding bikes, it would make such a huge difference here.
