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Residents protest 113th Street plans
By MAUREEN BYRNE
© St. Petersburg Times, SEMINOLE -- Emotions ran high Monday night as 150 residents packed a church's fellowship hall either to protest or commend the county's plans to modify 113th Street near Walker Avenue. Most of the people who attended the hourlong public hearing at Faith Presbyterian Church live in the Oakhurst Shores subdivision, a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes just west of 113th Street and north of 54th Avenue. They said they want to be able to turn left again from Walker Avenue onto 113th Street. An engineering firm hired by the county to conduct a study of the intersection and its surrounding vicinity says that's not a good idea. "113th Street is not a straight line," said Pete Yauch, director of traffic engineering for TEI Engineers and Planners. "It is a series of curves, especially in the Walker Avenue area." A bend in the road and a privacy wall just north of Walker Avenue limit the sight distance for motorists exiting Walker. After two people were killed there in December 1999, the county installed a "Right Turn Only" sign on Walker. According to some of the residents of the Oakhurst Shores neighborhood, that was a big mistake. In order for them to be able to drive north on 113th Street, they have to turn right on Walker Avenue or Grove Street and make a U-turn on 113th Street at the traffic signal at 54th Avenue. Another option is to drive south on Bates Street to 54th Avenue. And they say what the county plans to do next will only make matters worse. If the Pinellas County Commission approves, workers will install a concrete barrier at the median opening on 113th Street at Walker Avenue to prevent motorists from making illegal left turns. The barrier still would allow northbound traffic on 113th Street to turn left at Walker. The engineering company is recommending creating a southbound left turn lane at the first median opening south of Grove Street and a northbound left turn lane at the first median opening north of Oakridge Trail to accommodate motorists who want to make U-turns. "You're going to cause more accidents with all these U-turns," said John Limpose, who lives on Pine Street in the Oakhurst Shores neighborhood. Many in the audience agreed with Limpose, telling county public works officials and county commissioners John Morroni and Karen Seel that encouraging U-turns on 113th is a dangerous idea. Take down the privacy wall, they said. Sandra Hartmann, who lives on Oakhurst Drive, suggested the county buy the home where the privacy wall is located so it could be removed. The house is for sale for $319,000. Or better yet, some recommended, put a traffic light on 113th at Walker Avenue. The county has said installing a traffic signal there could result in rear-end accidents and the potential danger of drivers running the red light. "Adding a signal isn't always going to decrease accidents," said Jim Collins, a senior engineer with the county's Transportation Engineering Division. In response to the county's proposals, the Oakhurst Shores Neighborhood Association conducted a survey. Each of the subdivision's households was given a survey, and 42 percent responded. About two-thirds of the survey respondents said the county should remove the privacy wall and the "Right Turn Only" sign. Fifty-two percent said a traffic light should be installed on 113th at Walker, and about 75 percent were opposed to putting speed humps on Grove Street and Walker Avenue. The results of the survey also showed that 89 percent of respondents were against installing a concrete barrier in the median opening on 113th Street at Walker. Sixty percent were against creating a southbound left turn lane south of Grove Street for motorists to make U-turns. And three-quarters were against linking Island Avenue and Bayshore Drive to 54th Avenue, which now ends just east of Island, to make another outlet to 113th Street. But Barbara Koyutis, who has lived on Bates Street for 30 years, supports the idea of extending 54th Avenue. She said the subdivision has outgrown its roads during the past three decades. "It makes sense to dilute the traffic throughout the neighborhood," Mrs. Koyutis said. Residents also complained that the "Right Turn Only" sign on Walker has caused motorists to use other roads to exit the neighborhood, increasing traffic on the quiet residential streets. Not only has the traffic increased, but so has the speed, some said at the meeting. Speed humps already have been installed on Bates Street to slow down vehicles. "But who's driving too fast?" Roland Wett asked his neighbors. "We are. It's your neighbors. You're the culprit. Not the county." Morroni, who represents the county's District 6, which includes the Oakhurst Shores subdivision, said commissioners will discuss the proposed changes to 113th Street at their workshop at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 10. "We'll take this input and hopefully make some changes that are more acceptable to the community," he said.
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