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An eye for speeders
By Rodney Thrash Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2007
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Hillsborough County sheriff's Cpl. Billy Hughes, right, tickets a driver along Countryway Boulevard. No matter the outcome of an upcoming ballot on traffic calming, deputies will continue to monitor the road.
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[Chris Zuppa Times]
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WESTCHASE - Uniformed Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies position themselves on both sides of Countryway Boulevard, speed guns hoisted at eye level. ¶ It's just after 9 a.m. on a Tuesday and the last of the morning rush winds through the narrow, residential street. ¶ The posted speed limit is 30 mph and for the most part, drivers obey the law. "I like to see this," Cpl. Billy Hughes says. "This is a good sign." ¶ A few minutes later, a gun beeps. Deputy Art Peralta clocks the speed of a silver Audi headed in his direction. ¶ "Forty-five," he shouts. ¶ Hughes steps into the street and flags down the car. The Sheriff's Office writes more tickets on Countryway than any other road in District 3, which covers northwest Hillsborough. Through September, deputies issued nearly 1,400 traffic citations - more than 120 of them in one month. Countryway isn't first countywide, but it does crack the top 10. Insignificant? Not when you consider the streets ahead of it: N Dale Mabry Highway, E Fletcher and W Waters avenues. "If you look at those streets, they go through not just different districts, but also different jurisdictions," Hughes says. "It's truly apples and oranges. Those are huge highways. Countryway is residential." How can a neighborhood street only 4 miles long rank alongside busy drags lined with big-box and other commercial development? The Sheriff's Office says Pinellas, not Hillsborough, accounts for most of the tickets issued. Rather than sit on busy interstates and highways, motorists clog Countryway to reach their destinations. Without that additional traffic, Countryway is already inadequate. "It's a densely populated area," Hughes says. "You factor that in with the fact that many people are commuting to and from work. Typically, people do not leave themselves enough time." Or they just drive recklessly. On Sept. 26, an Alonso High student lost control of his car, crashed into a scooter, killed the driver and plunged into a pond. Two weeks ago, the Sheriff's Office charged the student, John Holland Jr., 16, with vehicular homicide and placed him on house arrest until his first juvenile court hearing on Nov. 6. Authorities say Holland was speeding. - - - The Sheriff's Office tries to prevent tragedies like this. South of Linebaugh Avenue, it installed a sign that shows drivers their speed. In the past two years, it increased its visibility on Countryway. Deputies monitor traffic "if not every day, then every other day," Hughes says. "At least four times a week." But some Westchase homeowners say heightened enforcement alone can't solve Countryway's problems. "It's a Band-Aid," says Gail Gundersen, who lives on the corner of Glencliff Circle and Countryway. "We need apermanent fix." The county suggests raised intersections, which are brick-paved ramps that make pedestrians more visible. Sixty percent of Westchase homeowners, then county commissioners must approve them. The county has mailed more than 200 ballots to homes in portions of Woodbay, Glencliff, Harbor Links and Keswick Forest, subdivisions along Countryway. The deadline is Nov. 10. If the measure fails, the issue will be tabled until 2010. Gundersen says Westchase can't afford to wait any longer. "A man lost his life 200 yards from Woodbay. The time is now." - - - No matter the outcome, sheriff's deputies will continue to watch for speeders along Countryway. On that recent Tuesday, they pulled over five more cars. "And we were there for 20 minutes," Hughes said. "Imagine what it's like between 4 and 6 p.m." Rodney Thrash can be reached at (813) 269-5303 or rthrash@sptimes.com. Fast facts The top 10 streets by number of citations written by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office through September. 3,601 N Dale Mabry Highway 2,984 E Fletcher Avenue 2,734 W Waters Avenue 1,997 Bruce B. DownsBoulevard 1,814 S U.S. 301 1,684 WHillsborough Avenue 1,366 Countryway Boulevard 1,287 GunnHighway 1,259 N U.S. 41 1,180 E Dr. MLK Boulevard
.the ballot A calming question "I favor the proposed Hearing Master Plan for Traffic Calming Devices on Countryway Blvd." or "I do not favor the proposed Hearing Master Plan for Traffic Calming Devices on Countryway Blvd." Ballots are due Nov. 10. For more information, contact Robert Wood at (813) 307-1929 or woodr@hillsboroughcounty.org or Gail Gundersen at (813) 891-0798 or gailgund@tampabay.rr.com.
[Last modified November 1, 2007, 06:25:21]
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