Government and infrastructure

Homelessness issues

The National Coalition for the Homeless cited Gainesville as the 5th meanest city in the United States for the city's criminalization of homelessness in the Coalition's two most recent reports (in 2004 and 2009),^[10][122] the latter time for its meal limit ordinance.^[11] Gainesville has a number of ordinances that target the homeless, including an anti-panhandling measure and a measure making sleeping outdoors on public property illegal. In 2005, the Alachua Board of County Commissioners and the Gainesville City Commission responded by issuing a written "Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness";^[123][124] which was followed by the 2010 "A Needs Assessment of Unsheltered Homeless Individuals In Gainesville, Florida" presentation to a joint meeting of Gainesville and Alachua County Commissions.^[125] An indoor homeless shelter was built on the site of the former Gainesville Correctional Institution grounds, with surrounding area designated for tents.^[126]

Transportation

Heading east on University Avenue, approaching 13th Street (US 441) intersection

Major roads

Gainesville has an extensive road system, which is served by Interstate 75, and several Florida State Routes, including State routes 20, 24, and 26, among others. Gainesville is also served by US 441 and nearby US 301, which gives a direct route to Jacksonville, Ocala, and Orlando.

See also: List of county roads in Alachua County, Florida

• I-75 runs northwest and southeast across the western edge of the city, with interchanges at SR 121/SR 331 (exit 382), SR 24 (exit 384), SR 26 (exit 387), and SR 222 (Exit 390).
• US 441 is the main local north and south road through Gainesville. It runs on the eastern edge of University of Florida. It is known to locals as 13th Street, before curving to the northwest and finally joining SR 20, thereby converting it into an additional hidden state road. At the intersection of SR 121, the DeSoto Trail moves from SR 121 to US 441.
• SR 20 runs Northwest and Southeast through Gainesville. In East Gainesville, the road again becomes a stand-alone route that is four lanes wide Highway as it heads to Hawthorne, Interlachen, and Palatka
• SR 24 runs northeast and sowthwest through Gainesville. The Northeast corner of SR 24 and SR 222 is the site of the Gainesville Regional Airport, before heading to Waldo, Starke, and Jacksonville (Via.U.S. Route 301)(Gainesville-Jacksonville Highway)
• SR 26 is the main local east and west road through Gainesville. It spans from Fanning Springs to Putnam Hall in Putnam County.
• SR 121 runs north and south on the western part of the city. The DeSoto Trail breaks away. As SR 121 Heads north to Lake Butler, Raiford, and Macclenny.
• SR 331 runs northeast and southwest through the City. It also serves as a truck route for State Roads 24, 26, and 121. Despite skirting the Gainesville City Limits, SR 331 runs north and south as a four-lane divided rural highway.

The city's streets lie on a grid system, with four quadrants (NW, NE, SW and SE). All streets are numbered, except for a few major thoroughfares, which are often named for the towns they lead to (such as Waldo Road (SR 24), Hawthorne Road (SR 20), Williston Road (SR 121), Archer Road (also SR 24) and Newberry Road (SR 26)). Streets ending in the suffixes Avenue, Place, Road or Lane (often remembered by use of the acronym "APRiL") run generally east-west, while all other streets run generally north-south.

Rail

Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach buses connect with Jacksonville, Florida, to the north and Lakeland, Florida (to/from points south, LKL), to the south. Buses arrive/depart stations to connect with the Silver Service. Amtrak train service is available at Palatka, Florida, 32 miles (51 km) to the east.
At one time, Gainesville had railroad lines extending in six directions from the community and was served by several depots, the earliest route constructed reaching the town in 1859. As traffic and business patterns changed, the less heavily used railroads were abandoned beginning in 1943, and some routes realigned, with the last trains running in the middle of Main Street in 1948.^[127] By the 1980s, the only freight operator into the city was the Seaboard System (formerly the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, now merged into CSX). Passenger service into Gainesville had ended by the time of Amtrak's 1971 creation. In 1984, the last freight trackage was removed as the Seaboard abandoned the branch through Gainesville to Hawthorne due to light customer traffic on the line.^[128]

Airport, bus, and others

In addition to its extensive road network, Gainesville is served by Gainesville Regional Transit System, or RTS, which is the fourth-largest mass transit system in the state. The area is also served by Gainesville Regional Airport in the northeast part of the city, with daily service to Atlanta, Miami and Charlotte.
According to the 2000 census, 5.25 percent of Gainesville residents commuted to work by bike, among the highest figures in the nation for a major population center.