First Avenue makeover to help deter speeders

Prompted by complaints, Safety Harbor plans a series of modifications to improve traffic on the busy street.

By LEON M. TUCKER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 20, 2002

SAFETY HARBOR -- After hearing complaints about speeders and gridlock along First Avenue N, city commissioners gave the nod this week to do something about it.

Quickly.

Work on the troubled residential street starts today.

"I can't promise that we'll get this done during the Christmas holiday, but that's going to be our intent," Logan said. "Obviously, the availability of a contractor to do the raised intersection is the real key."

The changes will be made while Safety Harbor Middle School is closed for the holidays -- from the end of the school day today until Jan. 6.

The anticipated cost is $16,500.

Here's what will be done, as City Manager Wayne Logan showed commissioners this week:

-- Raising the intersection at First Avenue and Seventh Street 3 inches to discourage motorists from ignoring stop signs there.

-- Reworking other intersections in the area to include more visible stop signs to encourage stopping, and more painted lines in the street to indicate to motorists where to stop.

-- Changing the south end of First Avenue into a one-way street leading to Philippe Parkway to decrease congestion.

-- Changing Tucker Street west of Philippe Parkway from a two-way street to a one-way street, also to decrease congestion.

-- Painting double lines along with putting raised reflectors down the middle of First Avenue to encourage motorists to slow down.

-- Decreasing the number of traffic signs along First Avenue to alleviate confusion for motorists.

The suggestions came out of an $8,500 study by Orth-Rodgers & Associates Inc., a Tampa firm that spent a month monitoring traffic there.

"This is something that has been of importance for a while," City Engineer Lennie Naeyaert said. "We take this stuff seriously."

The first step, he said, was to notify area residents about the changes; one of them already knows, yet remains skeptical.

"I still emphasize that I only asked for two speed bumps, which would only have been $500 to $600," said Debra Schramel, whose concern about speeders in front of her house prompted her to buy a radar gun.

"I still think we're going to have some excessive speeds," she added. "I'm very pleased with how quickly they acted on this and I'm going to go with their ideas and hope they work -- and if it doesn't, I'll be at the next commission meeting."

Naeyaert said painting the double lines along with placing raised reflectors down the middle of First Avenue should remedy the speeding problems.

"The traffic calming is being done by narrowing the lane," he said. "If you move too close, you get that thump, thump, thump, thump, and that tends to make them slow down."

-- Leon M. Tucker can be reached at 445-4167 or tucker@sptimes.com .

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