Roundabout education, speeding and a quest for synchronicity | Street Scene
Questions about navigating roundabouts have increased recently which I attribute to the influx of people moving to Florida from cities without them. It is the local population writing to Street Scene as they encounter drivers not knowing what to do once inside a roundabout.
As every city or county that has built roundabouts, Leon County public works department provides a pamphlet that pretty well explains the proper way to drive through a roundabout. Go to: leoncountyfl.gov then type in roundabouts. If a movie is to your liking search on YouTube videos. Now all we have to do is get the pamphlet/ information to the people who would benefit.
Safety issues on CR 59 near Moccasin Gap
Q. Last July Debbie wrote: Hello Trooper Stuart, I live on Memorial Drive (CR 59) on the 6 mile stretch between US 90 and Miccosukee/ Moccasin Gap. The traffic, particularly truck traffic, including double semis and a proliferation of FedEx trucks, is increasing. So are speeders.
This is a two lane road without much shoulder, lights or signs except for the 55 mph posted speed limit. Aggressive driving such as tailgating and passing is evident on this strip which is locally known as the "see how fast you can go strip." Regional Florida and Georgia travelers realize they get reappearing cellphone coverage for a short stretch and slow down or actually pull over creating a hazard to motorists not on their phones.
Traveling south from Miccosukee to US 90, about 4 miles, you will approach Middlefield Road at the crest of a blind hill. Duke Energy has installed transmission-line structures on the west side, on the east side is a bank of mailboxes where Middlefield residents collect their mail on golf carts, and a church and utility substation. This is also a school bus stop.
Not long ago a car and a truck crashed sending both vehicles through our fence and into our property. There are many more homes in this area and a community center is contemplated for Miccosukee.
How do we ask decision makers to evaluate safety issues for this stretch? How is traffic and increased activity assessed for needed road improvements for everyones public safety?
A. Street Scene is the "go to place" to get the ear of those responsible for all things public safety. It is evident our Florida Highway Patrol and County Sheriff’s officers can save lives with more frequent patrols, especially where drivers are slowing to capture and remain in cellphone coverage. Our State and County traffic safety engineers will want to examine the area for added deceleration and turn lanes, advance warning signs or a traffic signal at the intersection. Please keep Street Scene posted.
Can we get synchronicity?
Q. Gary and Sue want to know why Thomasville Road Traffic signals can't be synchronized to keep rush hour traffic moving between Armistead Road and I-10? Northbound Thomasville Road in this part of town is so congested the evening traffic comes to a crawl and sometimes is completely stopped.
To investigate, I drove that section of road during the non rush hour period and discovered I was stopped at every traffic light while going the posted speed limit, however when I tried it again exceeding the speed limit I was able to make it through a couple of green lights. Clearly there does not appear to be any attempt to keep hour traffic moving through the most congested part of town. Why? Am I the only driver that has noticed this easily resolved traffic problem by synchronizing the traffic lights??
A. Even though now we have wizard-smart lightning-fast computers, interpolating and adjusting thousands of calculations per second to keep platoons of northbound, eastbound, southbound, and westbound traffic flowing we don’t have the street system needed to accomplish the progression we would like.
In the case of Thomasville Road, the fact is we are trying to move volumes of traffic too great for two lanes of road to handle. We will however ask our traffic engineers to see if we can add some traffic progression during the weekday rush hour(s) on Thomasville Road.
North of I-10 things open up as we have four through lanes to occupy. Although it is the immediate solution, we don’t want to add another lane to Thomasville Road between Armistead and I-10 and destroy the beauty of this area for maybe a 5-year temporary solution.
Indeed I say with all certainty we won’t ever do it. Instead we will expand the existing downtown state office complex further north as the viable solution. Which I recommend. Take away the state office complex at Southwood, put everyone back in the downtown and you can see what we would have.
As to the matter of speed vs sequential green lights I have tested the same thing on various Tallahassee streets and have even written how, in some cases, at some times of day and on some days of the week we are rewarding driving over the posted speed limit with green lights and punishing the law abiding with red lights. But it isn’t the norm.
Where is end to school zone?
Q. Diane says ditto on the complaints about school flashing lights warning with no end speed reduction shown. Add North Meridian Road at Hawks Rise Elementary School where there is another “start” speed reduction but no end speed reduction. I don’t believe drivers take the reduction seriously when there is no sign showing where it ends.
A. I’m not sure what the thinking is with these types of unmarked school zones. On Meadow Ridge Drive behind Hawks Rise Elementary there are two crosswalks identified with the standard pictorial school crosswalk signs with black arrow on yellow background pointing at about a 40 degree down angle showing the precise crosswalk location. However nothing identifies these crosswalks to be in a school zone. I suggest a school zone be implemented to provide advance warning a school is nearby and expect school children to be crossing the street a short distance ahead.
On Meridian Road, as all other locations of this kind where we have begin school speed restriction without ending the school speed restriction I suggest we add "end speed restriction" signs as soon as possible.
Rough railroad crossing
Q. Tracey is asking if there are plans to repair the railroad crossing at Roberts Avenue and Mabry Road. It is horrible.
A. This type of neglect delivers hidden costs to the motoring public in the way of vehicle repairs. Wheel alignment is foremost. Most cars and light trucks have 4 wheel alignment which can get pricey when banged out of alignment by poorly maintained railroad crossings.
It falls to the railroad to maintain their crossings, if they don’t Florida Statute 335.141 (2)(c) reads in part: If the railroad company fails to maintain the crossing, the unit of government with jurisdiction over the public road that is crossed, after notifying the railroad company of needed repairs and after giving the company 30 days after the date of receipt of the notice to make repairs, shall proceed to make the repairs.
Shall is the operative word here. By writing into law "shall make repairs" the Florida Legislature is mandating the jurisdictional government (City of Tallahassee) fix it tells me the legislature recognizes the importance of street maintenance and costs to the public when street maintenance is not a priority for those responsible. We ask our city engineers to contact the railroad for repairs or take the initiative.
Philip Stuart is a retired Florida State Trooper, Traffic Operations Projects Engineer and Forensics Expert Witness. Write to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Street Scene: Roundabout issues, chronic speeders and synchronicity
