Sarasota Livin'

I read with interest the news about the head of the Florida DOT listening to Sarasota City officials about changes to US41 to make it a little more pedestrian friendly....

What can be done? Surely the legal speed limit can be lowered, a step that would be safer for everyone -- drivers as well as pedestrians. Crosswalks and sidewalks can be better lit, enhancing critically important visibility at night. Bike paths can be expanded and the width of car lanes can be reduced, a psychological trick that encourages drivers to slow down. Enforcement of traffic laws can be stepped up to protect pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

I now drive 41 to 301 N and S everyday. I am amazed at just how un-pedestrian friendly it is. 301 in Newtown is the worst. It is very far between red lights (for me driving that is good) so people routinely cross that busy road anywhere they need to .... for instance to get to the "neighborhood" stores across the road without walking an extra mile ....

I just don't think cars come first (except on Interstates....)

I just found this really cool website Walk Score. Just enter your address and push the button. It is a "google maps" mashup.... My house got a 57 -- "sort of walkable" (it's a fair rating -- it is more "bikable")

I entered a downtown Main St address and it go a very walkable rating (92). This is not just hocus pocus they show by category what they use to rate your address -- what parks, stores, schools etc are "walkable" from your house.

I new "feature" when you are trying to sell or buy ...

Why did the City of Sarasota close off an important entrance to the fireworks????

For the past several years we have been riding bikes to watch the fireworks at the bayfront... well today if you are coming from the south like us you can't ride / walk along the bayfront this year????

It is all fenced off from Selby Gardens to Ringling .... who are these VIP's ??? ....... my family and I are VIP's we participate in City stuff well above average .. We have owned a home (and pay taxes) in the city for over 15 years ... hey I don't want an exclusive parking spot for the night ... I just want my access to the bayfront !!!

Much more to comment on next week but how about this for a different mode of transportation

I saw an email today with an invite to a meeting at Twin Lakes Park - Oct 30th 2006 at 6:30pm to discuss a new road that will go from the Knights Trail Landfill to Clark Road (72)...

I am unclear about the actual details but I don't like the idea of a new road for trucks out in the "country" --- don't need big trucks going through the woods .... especially if it puts development pressure on any of it...

Anyway nice website with good graphics ... nice marketing campaign.

Interesting comment by Otis White at Civic Strategies

A couple of months ago, we posed a question for smart growth advocates: How does adding large numbers of people to a neighborhood benefit those who are already there? It is, we said, the question that haunts smart growth and, if unanswered, threatens to derail the entire movement.

This is a question that our city and county have had to deal with frequently. For the city of Sarasota it comes every time a new mixed use "too tall / too many units" development is proposed and is then opposed by neighbors because of traffic issues.

This argument means that you think of transportation as "car traffic." We need a city where every trip we make is not in a car. If we can envision a time where a bigger percentage of our "trips" are walking, biking or public transit this argument goes away.

the solution requires that officials think of their cities in entirely new ways. The most important, as Hales says, is the concept that "the pedestrian is the first-class passenger." Therefore, transit and, indeed, the entire built environment (sidewalks, streets, crosswalks, parks, retail, office buildings) must be reoriented to making walking such a joy, who wouldn't want to stroll a few blocks on each end of a streetcar ride?

We are still at the chicken and egg level. Transit won't be economical without density. We need to build a consensus that public transit is worth the investment.

Check out this article on Transportation in Portland, Oregon on Wikipedia. Yes Portland is much bigger but it's still a great model.

I can see some logic in creating an 8 county regional transportation planning authority -- I just don't think it's first job should be to create a new beltway around Tampa -- if that is what is planned it is a bad idea -- to spend $billions on a new road before looking at alternative transportation ideas. A new interstate (even a limited access toll road) would create another huge growth spurt in a state that is pretty taxed on water and other resources.

8-county agency seen as answer

By DALE WHITE
...
They believe it's too nearsightedly focused on local priorities and constrained by its divvied-out shares of gas taxes to build the major network of transit lines and expressways they say will be needed alternatives to Interstate 75, U.S. 41 and other routes.

They contend Tampa Bay can't wait any longer to kick-start such projects, and back formation of a Tampa Bay Regional Transportation Authority that would span Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.

The authority would build toll roads and transit systems for the area, which has a population of nearly 4 million. During the next 40 years, the population is expected to double, while the prices of land, labor and material will go up.

The new authority would sell bonds to private investors and pay off the debt with fares and tolls. It could leverage that borrowing power to also qualify for federal dollars that, so far, have eluded Florida.

"It would have no taxing authority," Galvano said. "It would not take tax dollars from any existing entities."

If their vision becomes a reality, ferries could become an option to congested bridges. Residents could rely on commuter trains to get to jobs and airports in neighboring counties. A limited-access expressway, similar to Florida's turnpike, could enable motorists and truckers who willingly pay extra to bypass more crowded highways.
...