Changes Coming To Sarasota Traffic Plans (Tamiami, Fruitville: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[wondermint2]

Count me as skeptical that these new plans will be effective. Basically instead of spending money to widen the roads Sarasota will build more roundabouts and tell people to walk more and use their bicycles:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...-traffic-plans

[d4g4m]

Gee, just what we need, more of those things they call 'roundabouts'. When all you do is remove a traffic light or stop sign, with zero intersection improvement and add a concrete circle, it is not a roundabout.
The latest and unneeded circle, Honore and Richardson. What a joke!!!! N. Trial and Gulfstream??? I'll bet the people on Longboat and Lido can't wait for that circle. btw- This was proposed years ago by people who really want it.
I think our traffic bureaucrats should first attend 'roundabout design' school before constructing any more.
Traffic congestion can't be any worse than NYC. I wonder why they never installed 'roundabouts'?

[wondermint2]

IMO this is "the achilles heel" of "paradise". Continued new growth and development overwhelming the infrastucture. From the article:

** "To continue to do business the way we have in transportation is not going to work ... more people are coming," Hutchinson told the group. "This is part of the state’s economic development strategy ... there’s no plan to pull up the drawbridge. Some of the development already approved may not happen, but more is getting approved. We’re going to see more people here, so how are we going get around?” **

[gypsychic]

Well, they definitely need to do SOMETHING to address the traffic issues - there is an incredible amount of building going on in the already overburdened downtown. Traffic and flooding are off the charts, and that Gulfstream/41 intersection has become a cluster****.

I do like the idea of more bike lanes, water ferry to beaches and other transport ideas. Not sure about all the roundabouts - geez we already have so MANY of those now!!

[Coachgns]

SIXTEEN new ROundabouts! Crazy!
As one who walks around downtown on a regular basis, I can tell you that there are many many close calls with pedestrians at the roundabouts at 5 points, main & Orange, and RIngling & Palm. They have pedestrian crossings, but they are not aligned with the sidewalks, so people often walk straight from one sidewalk to the sidewalk on the other side of the roundabout, which takes them straight thru the roundabout. And at the pedestrian crossings, a car coming around a roundabout looking at traffic coming from the left will miss people crossing where the crossing is at his right. And don't get me started on the "ART" in the middle of the roundabouts. If it's good art, won't it distract the drivers? Or are drivers not supposed to look at the art? If not, why put it there? And of course, it also creates blind spots.

THey build build build all the high-rises downtown and Rosemary, but with no thought given to traffic.

And they think people are going to walk & bike more? I'd guess the average age of the people buying the new d'town units is around 70 or higher. Most will not be walking much, and almost none will be biking. And if they expect people to bike into d'town, why are they proposing eliminating bike lanes on Fruitville from 41 to 301? And they seem to forget that this is Florida - torrential rain pops up often - bikers/walkers supposed to just keep on going in the middle of heavy thunderstorms?

Water taxi - great idea - BUT - that only helps people who want to get the the area around the taxi stops. Unless they use large ferries that will allow cars on them.

In case you can't tell, I am not a fan of these traffic proposals. :-)

[MattMN]

Roundabouts are awesome. Do they take a little getting used to? Yes, but not much. Go through one a few times and you'll get the hang of it. They are WAY more efficient than a 4-way stop sign.

Can they replace a 4-lane stoplight intersection? That would be a little trickier, IMHO. But studies have shown they are effective in reducing overall traffic congestion. They have proven effective in Europe, and their usage is growing all over the United States. If they will help, I say bring 'em on.

[MattMN]

One observation I've made in my short time here is the extreme lack of options besides the main roads. There are way too many dead-end streets and lack of connecting "back roads". This continually forces more traffic onto the already congested main roads.

Example: I'm at Business A on the west side of 301. Next I want to go to Business B about 2 blocks north also on the west side. Is there a little back road connecting them? No. I need to go south on 301, make a u-turn at the next light, then go north on 301 to again make a left turn into Business B.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by MattMN

One observation I've made in my short time here is the extreme lack of options besides the main roads. There are way too many dead-end streets and lack of connecting "back roads". This continually forces more traffic onto the already congested main roads.

Example: I'm at Business A on the west side of 301. Next I want to go to Business B about 2 blocks north also on the west side. Is there a little back road connecting them? No. I need to go south on 301, make a u-turn at the next light, then go north on 301 to again make a left turn into Business B.

So you just moved here & want to rezone the streets?! Just wait till you get to play in traffic a few months from now...

Seriously though, the traffic never really went away this summer. I hear sirens everyday go by my office off S. Tamiami Trail & driving at the moment has become a higher art form. Cars seem to have a mind of their own & barely let others pass before lunging out into the street because waiting for an actually clear road is out of the question ~ wonder why you see so many vehicles that are T-boned ~ that's why. I actually found a courteous driver behind me in a Range Rover without a dent ~ I still haven't figured out why so many cars want to be in my backseat while on the road ~ add some traffic calming circles ~ sure why not?!

[MattMN]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

So you just moved here & want to rezone the streets?! Just wait till you get to play in traffic a few months from now...

Not sure what you mean exactly by "rezone the streets". I was just stating if there were just a small 2-lane connecting road for many of the current dead-end routes, SOME traffic could be removed from the main roads. I'm not advocating the city buy a bunch of houses and build massive new roads, nor do I think this would put much heavy traffic in any neighborhoods. Most of these are in business/industrial districts anyway. It was more an observation than a rezoning demand.

To be clear, yes, I was fully aware of the heavy traffic and seasonal increases when I chose to move down here. I am not complaining about the traffic, but simply offering what I see as one small solution in relation to the conversation about road infrastructure improvements and adaptations to better handle the heavy traffic.