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Input from drivers invited

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published March 11, 2007

If you have ideas on how to improve highway safety in Florida, now's your chance to share them.

The state's 2007 Transportation Safety Summit will be held in Orlando next week and the development of a statewide Strategic Highway Safety Plan - Florida's road map to reduce motor vehicle crashes - is the task at hand for the two-day meeting.

In 2005, 3,533 people died on Florida roadways, making the state's fatality rate 1.76 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, a 6 percent increase from 2004.

"We can and must do better," said Marianne Trussell, Florida Department of Transportation chief safety officer.

Participants in the summit include the Florida DOT, departments of Education, Health, Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Highway Patrol, the Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council, Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others. For information about the summit, visit www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/ StrategicHwySafetyPlan.htm.

So what are stop bars?

We recently talked about stop bars and how maddening it can be to get stuck behind a vehicle that has not pulled up far enough to trigger a signal change at the traffic light. Sitting through a few light cycles without getting a turn arrow is no fun and can even ignite extreme unpleasantness.

The Doc made the observation that some drivers have been on the road long before the advent of such devices as electronic stop bars and many may not be aware of them. We received lots of mail from older drivers. Reader Rosemary Westbrook wrote: "I am one of those who had to find out the hard way about stop bars. It's my understanding they are not universal at all left turn lights, so how is one to know which ones do have them? Why could there not be some sign to enlighten the ignorant and uninitiated at the lights where they are in effect? Seems a simple solution to me."

We shared some reader comments with Ken Jacobs, the county's manager of traffic signal operations. Jacobs was happy to enlighten readers. Here's what he wrote in an e-mail:

"Stop bars are wide white lines that cross the road parallel to the pedestrian crosswalk. They are required at all signalized intersections specifically to define where the motorist should stop. We use the stop bar as a reference point to install vehicle sensors under the pavement; that way as long as the car stops at the stop bar, the traffic control equipment will know there is a car present and will provide a green light."

The Doc asked Jacobs about those white signs at intersections that read "Stop Here." Some may assume those signs are meant to keep cars out of pedestrian right-of-ways. But are they actually stop bar indicators?

Jacobs said that at some intersections "Stop Here" signs are used to reiterate where the vehicle should stop at intersections where traffic management workers note that vehicles tend to creep forward and roll off the vehicle sensor.

CENTRAL AND FIRST AVENUES

Train tracks departing

The bumpy condition of the railroad tracks near the police station on Central and First avenues between 14th and 15th streets has prompted lots in inquiries from readers. We checked with the city's transportation department on the status of the tracks and surrounding roadways.

Thomas Gibson responded that city representatives are in contact with CSX. The company is in the process of abandoning rail operations south of Seventh Avenue N.

"Once rail operations on this line have officially ended, approval from CSX is expected to allow removal of the rails, and the crossing area will be paved," Gibson said.

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

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 20:47:24]