The city of Sarasota is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, just south of Tampa. Its population has declined in recent years to about 55,000, according to the 2020 U.S. census, within 24 square miles of territory. During the winter months, the number of residents swells somewhat with the snowbird migration from the north.
An NMA member is one of those who enjoys spending Januarys and Februarys in the more temperate climate of Sarasota. That enjoyment may become past tense. He clipped and sent us an op-ed published by the Sarasota Observer a few weeks ago. A few excerpts under the title, “Tom Barwin Gets the Last Laugh.”
“Many of our readers might remember Tom Barwin, former Sarasota city manager. A few years back, he and his band of merry planners were all about “walkability” and bike lanes for the areas in and around downtown Sarasota.”
“One of their brilliant new urban ideas was to tear up Fruitville Road from, say, Orange Avenue to Tamiami Trail and redesign it so it would be reduced to one lane and the speed limit would be reduced to 25 mph, making that whole stretch more accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists.”
“Downtown Sarasota was to be the city of urban walkers . . .”
“The idea of traffic calming on Fruitville, however, brought an eruption of vocal opposition [from those who noted] Fruitville to Interstate 75 is the main evacuation route in the event of a hurricane, not to mention the primary artery for most downtown and barrier island residents to get to the interstate on normal days.”
“Well, Barwin got what he wanted. He “calmed” the traffic on Fruitville all right. He calmed it so much he brought it to a halt. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., traffic is bumper to bumper and inches along . . . The traffic is calm, but the motorists are not.”
“Barwin’s successor, Marlon Brown, and the Florida Department of Transportation should be planning now how to fix the traffic disasters at the roundabout rodeos. There is nothing calming about them at all.”
The embrace of traffic calming to meet the Vision Zero goals of eliminating all traffic fatalities is far from unique to Sarasota. Often, after exposure to the intended consequences of calming techniques, the NIMBY (not in my backyard) effect kicks in with residents.
Take Lacey, Washington, for example. TheOlympian.com reported that after the traffic disruption pictured below was installed on a city street, neighborhood residents voted not to keep the barriers in place. Any wonder why, after dealing with them coming and going every day?
The tactics available to restrict vehicular traffic are extensive, from chicanes, corner extension/bulb-outs, and median islands to raised intersections, road diets, speed humps, and traffic circles. Even on-street parking is used strategically in some instances.
The NMA’s Problems Associated With Traffic Calming article, courtesy of Kathleen Calongne, provides valuable information to combat efforts at artificially restricting traffic in your area. Let us know of your campaign for additional guidance and support.
Your local government, aided by its state and federal counterparts, will introduce the calm. Unless you want to live with inhibited traffic movement and congestion, we must all follow with the storm of opposition.
