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CORY SCHOUTENAll over the city, speed tables - car-friendlier versions of speed bumps - are on the way to calm traffic.
SOUTH TAMPA - Construction crews this week prepped a stretch of Iowa Street south of Gandy Boulevard for six new speed tables - welcome additions for a neighborhood plagued by speeding.
"They're probably not enough," said Bob Hart, who lives two blocks away and serves on the Gandy Civic Association's board of directors. "But attempting something like that is probably better than not doing anything at all."
All over the city, more speed tables are on the way.
As Tampa's neighborhood traffic coordinator, William Porth handled four speed table projects in about two years.
In the past few months, he has juggled eight.
The city plans to build 54 speed tables on eight city streets in the coming months, more than double the amount originally planned, said transportation manager Elton Smith. After those, the city will consider 12 to 15 other locations.
It's all part of Tampa's plan to accelerate the pace of neighborhood traffic calming - an effort that has many neighborhoods divided.
The new tables are 3 1/2-inches tall, with two 6-foot-long ramps and a 10-foot-long platform. They cost about $3,000 each.
Porth says the tables are a good short-term fix for alleviating neighborhood traffic problems, a goal promised by the newly elected mayor and City Council. But he has reservations whether they offer lasting solutions.
"Over the long term, we need to have a broader view of traffic calming," he said.
Transportation leaders view the tables - car-friendlier versions of speed bumps - as just one means to slow down speeders.
"We don't picture our neighborhoods filled with speed tables," Smith said. "We are focusing them on the areas with the most significant problems."
The city chooses the speed table locations from a list of about 230 areas with serious speeding issues.
After picking spots, the city organizes a meeting with residents and neighbors. Then the city sends ballots to residents on the affected streets asking if they support the tables. If most do, construction begins.
The process is designed to take about 12 weeks.
Porth said the abbreviated timetable could undermine neighborhood support. In the past, the city installed tables after 18 months of planning and building neighborhood consensus.
The last thing the department wants to do, Porth said, is to force street tables on communities.
Neighborhood sentiment is an important factor in deciding whether to install them, Smith said.
"We spend a good deal of time building a consensus in the neighborhood," Smith said. "We try to get understanding of what the neighborhood really wants."
Last week, transportation officials met with residents and neighbors of Church Avenue, from Bay to Bay Boulevard to Neptune Street in Virginia Park and Palma Ceia West, to talk about the plans for speed tables. More than 50 people attended the two-hour meeting to express their opinions.
John Weiss, president of the Virginia Park Neighborhood Association, said the speed tables will make the street safer.
"Some neighborhoods are begging for these speed tables," he said. "It's a blessing that we're being offered."
While most people who live on the affected streets support speed tables, those who live nearby and routinely use the streets usually don't, Porth said. The trend showed up clearly at the Church Avenue meeting.
Critics said speed tables penalize drivers who go the speed limit, create noise and can slow down emergency vehicles. The tables can also push traffic onto other neighborhood streets and slow drainage of flooded streets.
Doug Menendez, who lives near Church Avenue, said speed tables cause unnecessary wear and tear on cars. He advised the city to consider other solutions.
"Church is wide enough to carry traffic at 35 miles per hour," Menendez said. "If it's an issue of speeders, why isn't TPD out doing something about it?"
Transportation officials say something else must be done, since the Tampa Police Department doesn't have the resources to patrol every street that has a speeding problem.
City Council member John Dingfelder said he supports speed tables as a solution if neighborhoods don't object. He expects even more funding for them in the city's next budget.
"I think it's just a function of the redevelopment and growth of our inner city," Dingfelder said. "It's appropriate that we respond and protect our neighborhoods and protect our children."
- Cory Schouten can be reached at 226-3401 or cschouten@sptimes.com