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Summer doesn't mean 'no school'

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published June 18, 2006

It's summer, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's no school. Summer school is in full swing at some area public schools, which means that school zones are in force during the week. Don't assume that orange cones in the road must be an oversight, as some motorists traveling near Azalea Middle School found out last week.

I noticed a patrol car stationed near Azalea's school zone, which is next door to the Science Center, a very active hub for kids during the summer. Later in the day I saw a motorist pulled over who was clearly exceeding the 15 mph speed limit in the zone. So keep a sharp eye - tickets for speeding through a school zone can really put a dent in your wallet.

***

Readers are wondering about the round white device attached to the top of the traffic signal at 66th Street N and Tyrone Boulevard. It looks like a mini version of R2D2 of Star Wars fame. What could it be?

I checked with Ken Jacobs, manager of signal operations for Pinellas County, who said it was a closed-circuit TV camera.

Jacobs said the purpose of such cameras is to monitor traffic from central control centers. St. Petersburg's control center is on Ninth Avenue N.

"This gives us the ability to see if there are backups at intersections or slow movement through signals. We can see traffic conditions in real time and make adjustments quickly, especially when folks call in to alert us to a problem. Often, once we get out there on-site to take a look, traffic patterns may have changed."

The cameras are part of what Jacobs calls ITS, or the Intelligent Transportation System. The cameras have resulted in a 19 percent to 25 percent reduction in traffic delays after accidents, he said.

The cameras don't record images and are not used for law enforcement, so readers who have written in wondering whether the units are cameras recording images of license plates as they pass through the intersection, the answer is no.

"Their purpose is to help control traffic with real-time monitoring only," Jacobs said.

Though the camera at the Tyrone and 66th Street intersection is operated by the city, the county is also installing the cameras along the U.S. 19 corridor. Two have been installed in the northern part of the county at Tarpon Avenue and Curlew Road, and they will eventually extend south on U.S. 19 to 54th Avenue N.

***

Update on that pesky "NW 66th Street" sign: More than a few readers have contacted me to express their annoyance with the sign. Most of you have also expressed concern about confusing motorists unfamiliar with the area because the sign faces southbound traffic, and others find it pointless because it identifies 66th Street less than two blocks before it ends.

The biggest gripe is that the "NW 66th Street" sign is erected to face southbound traffic, which just doesn't seem to make sense to any of the readers who wrote in.

B. Graziani wrote: "That dumb sign reading 'NW 66th' Street while driving south on 66th Street around the 200 block of Pasadena Avenue is still there. Kevin Dunn of the DOT continues to insist that the sign should read '66 Street N.' To my way of thinking it is unequivocally 66 Street SOUTH. I agree if you are driving north on 66th Street and you come to the fork area, then it properly would read '66th Street N.' Would you mind asking Kevin Dunn once again to take a ride down there and get a first-hand look at this?"

Dunn, district signing/pavement marking manager for the DOT responded in an e-mail via a spokesperson last week: "Cardinal direction is found above a route marker (i.e. U.S. 19 South) or on a guide sign that includes a reference to a numbered route. This is not the same as an actual name of a street that includes a direction as part of its name; the direction in the street name generally reflects where the roadway resides within the geography of a city or town. It does not necessarily reflect the direction of travel."

There are many avenues in St. Petersburg, such as Fifth Avenue N, or 38th Avenue S, that are actually east/west roadways. A proposed sign, say over the westbound lanes for Fifth Avenue N, would not read 'Fifth Avenue W' just because a motorist is westbound. This is the same case as the sign for 66th Street N. The name of the street does not change even though you may change the direction you are driving on it."

Okay. But do we really need the sign? It really doesn't seem to be helpful in my estimation, and based on reader mail, I am not alone in my opinion.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

Please share your traffic concerns, comments and questions with Dr. Delay via e-mail at docdelay@yahoo.com.

[Last modified June 18, 2006, 07:48:39]