Many FAMUans and South Side residents are understandably nervous that the city’s proposed FAMU Way extension will become a congested cut-through route. Asking the city to install speed bumps along FAMU Way would solve this problem and permit the extension project to go forward.FAMU Way no longer sits on a K-12 school zone since FAMU DRS was relocated to Orange Avenue. That means it won’t qualify for a flashing yellow light with mandated reduced speed during school hours.
However, there is still a clear need make sure that the FAMU Way doesn’t become a speedway. It is close to the New Beginnings Day Care Center and runs by several privately-owned apartment complexes whose student tenants walk back and forth across that street all day.
Placing speed bumps along the widened FAMU Way would ensure that it does not become a convenient cut-through route for state workers or nearby Florida State University employees commuting back-and-forth to their jobs during the rush hours.
There’s no doubt that FAMU Way needs the money and improvements that the City of Tallahassee will pour into the project. The proposed stormwater runoff controls will be a huge benefit to the low-lying areas of the FAMU campus, which are prone to flooding. The idea of adding sidewalks will also increase student/pedestrian safety. Also, the new linear park will enhance campus beautification at no cost to FAMU.
Adding speed bumps to the FAMU Way extension project would permit the area to benefit from all the proposed new amenities without the threat of attracting cut-through traffic.
What is the proposed speed limit for the enhanced FAMU Way?
ReplyDeletePlease note that speed humps can be rather costly to maintain, so this may be something that the city engineer may (and note MAY) use as a pro or a con, depending on budgets. There are other speed management tools out there. Please be aware of other devices/techniques out there. The Institute of Transportation Engineers has a tutorial on speed management at http://www.ite.org/traffic/tcseminar.asp
If the city says chicanes, please respond with not just a no, but a HELL NO! They tried it before in TLH, and it failed miserably. What else is in their toolbox? Traffic circles? Speed tables?? Pavement striping for speed abatement?
Considering they are considering 11 foot lanes (but I'm not sure if this is a done deal), they are expecting a slower speeds. Highways usually have a minimum of 12' lanes. Are the parking lanes and bike lanes be striped?
Not sure that FAMU Way NEEDS the improvements that you suggested or that the City will actually provide the promised improvements or maintain them. We've been down this road before where promises have the end result is something quite different than had been expected.
ReplyDeleteOnly if they brick pave it. FAMU also needs a gateway presence on Gaines and Adams streets intersections. A gateway project for FAMU and FSU that would help even the city, considering that Lake Bradford/Springhill and Gaines streets are involved. FAMU's footprint should extend to Lake Bradford and partner at the water treatment plant and its estuaries. Tallahassee needs to step up its class and its relevance and sustainability. This would be a good way to step through the gateway of the future of the region together.
ReplyDeleteAlthough brick paving is beautiful, it's a nightmare to maintain, especially if you have heavy vehicles constantly going over them. It's also quite noisy, both inside and outside of the vehicles. I don't know if you remember when the City attemped to brick the crosswalks on the downtown section of Monroe St. years ago, but they learned their lesson then, and I believe it was a quite expen$ive lesson.
ReplyDeleteIf I am understanding what is meant by a footprint, expanding this would have to be justified, for zoning, improvements and funding. Remember, everything has a price. There is no such thing as fix and forget it. Chances are that it may be put back on FAMU, and that may be a tough sell. In these tough times, tough decisions have to be made. Get a scale...weigh additional aesthetics, versus tax increase. Who wins? Weigh aesthetics against furloughs and/or layoffs...who wins?
It's not that easy, eh?