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Letter to the editor

Most Westchase voters: Give us a brake

Residents okay traffic-calming spots along Countryway.

By BY RODNEY THRASH, Times Staff Writer
Published November 9, 2007

Ballots aren't due until a day from now, but Westchase homeowners have spoken: They want three raised intersections and a crosswalk along Countryway Boulevard.

Sixty percent of homeowners in portions of Woodbay, Glencliff, Harbor Links and Keswick Forest had to approve the ramps, which will slow down traffic and make pedestrians visible to drivers.

Westchase surpassed that threshold, according to Robert Wood, an engineering specialist with the Hillsborough County Traffic Division.

As of Tuesday, 68 percent of Keswick Forest homes supported the ballot measure. Harbor Links had a 67 percent approval rate. Returns from Woodbay and Glencliff came in at 65 percent.

Originally, the county set an Oct. 10 deadline. But when an Alonso High student crashed into a scooter and killed the driver, Gail Gundersen of Woodbay asked for and was granted an extension.

That Sept. 26 fatality and a grass roots, door-to-door campaign persuaded homeowners who hadn't submitted their ballots to do so.

"We have banded together," Gundersen said. "We are tired of speeding through our neighborhood."

County commissioners must affirm the community's vote before anything is installed. When they will do that depends on the Westchase taxing district. The county has budgeted $90,000 for asphalt intersections. Westchase would have to foot anything above that.

If the community goes with a more appealing and expensive look, it would require special engineering, design work and an agreement between Hillsborough County and the Westchase Community Development District. Those steps could delay the project, which Wood said Westchase can't afford.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office writes more tickets on Countryway - a short, residential street where the posted speed limit is 30 mph - than any other road in District 3, which covers northwest Hillsborough.

"This road is already of concern," Wood said. "I'm ready to install these traffic-calming measures today."

Rodney Thrash can be reached at 813 269-5303 or online at rthrash@sptimes.com.

Fast Facts

Slower going

Due for raised intersections:

Countryway Boulevard and Glencliff Circle

Countryway Boulevard and Peabody Lane

Countryway Boulevard and Asheville Drive

Due for a crosswalk: at the trail connecting Woodbay village to Glencliff Park.

Source: Hillsborough County

[Last modified November 8, 2007, 07:22:29]