The city had put two no-turn-on-red signs at Keene and East Bay to help pedestrians crossing Keene.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published June 17, 2005
LARGO - In April, the city installed signs that prohibited right turns on red at the northeast and northwest corners of Keene and East Bay Drive.
Thursday morning, state workers yanked one of those signs.
The city did not have the authority to put up the sign on East Bay in the first place, Florida Department of Transportation officials informed City Engineer Todd Bosso on Friday.
"We'll have to do a traffic study in the area to see if the "no right turn' sign is warranted," said Marian Scorza, DOT spokeswoman.
The signs had been one of several modifications the city launched in April to make Keene safer for pedestrians.
Bosso said the sign problem stemmed from a simple misunderstanding.
"The city felt we had the authority to install the sign, and the state told us we needed approval from the state in order to do so," he said. "Nevertheless, this was done for pedestrian safety. We're going to continue to work with the state to get improvements made that will make this intersection as safe as possible."
Bosso said the city did have county approval for another sign that prohibits right turns for southbound drivers turning west onto East Bay.
Other improvements included a countdown feature that lets pedestrians know how much time they have left to cross the road, signs prohibiting mid-block crossings and barriers that restrict left turns on Keene Road north of East Bay, where two major shopping centers are located.
The changes were made to deal with myriad traffic problems along the roadway, especially motorists failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks. There have been four traffic fatalities and more than 125 accidents in the area the last three years.
In March, 91-year-old Henry R. Cavaliere was struck and killed while crossing the road mid block on his electric scooter. Cavaliere lived near Imperial Palms senior apartments on Keene Road.
Largo police Sgt. Butch Ward said he's frustrated by the abrupt actions of the DOT because the improvements, especially the signs, had encouraged pedestrians to use the crosswalks because they felt safer.
Before the modifications, a one-day study by a city consultant showed that almost 100 percent of 88 crossings in the area occurred mid block.
Since enforcement began in May, Largo officers have written only two citations for pedestrians crossing mid block.
After the signs were pulled Thursday, Ward said he's received complaints that folks at Imperial Palms are afraid to cross at the crosswalk because drivers have stopped yielding to them.
"Now they've taken that sign off, people say, "I'm not crossing there,' and we're back at ground zero," Ward said. "We were really trying to help those folks."
Ward said he wants the signs replaced, but he's glad the state is fully aware of problems along the roadway.
"They've heard it's a dangerous intersection, and we'll see what improvements they're going to do," Ward said.
Since enforcement of new traffic rules began in the area, motorists have been issued about 115 tickets for a variety of offenses, including right turns on red, Ward said.
But those tickets can't be enforced, according to an e-mail to Bosso by Kevin L. Dunn, DOT district signing/pavement marking manager.
"An administrative decision hasn't been made how we're going to process the tickets for the signs," said Ward, who conceded that some who received citations may be reimbursed.
