Health and Safety

Strategic Initiative – Membership

  • Compatibility of neighborhood pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic.
  • Healthy Air Quality

Following their April 26, 2024, meeting, the Board is working on redefining this ongoing initiative which dealt with neighborhood traffic calming and expand it to include these other items.  Membership volunteers:

  • Compatibility – Rob Grant, Arlington Park, A. Cloutier, Harbor Acres, Norm Dumaine, Glen Oaks Estates, and Mary Butler, Amaryllis Park
  • Air Quality – Marisa Dawson, Central Cocoanut and Mary Butler, Amaryllis Park

These issues may require subcommittees to specifically define the issues in each neighborhood or set of neighborhoods. 

Neighborhood Safety Team Members:

Norm Dumaine, Chair, (Glen Oaks Estates)

Doug Jeffcoat, (Public Works Director)

Nik Patel, (City Engineer)

Carl Shoffstall (CCNA Treasurer)

Richard Harris (CCNA President)

Alvi Corales (Public Works)

Joanne Gonet (CCNA 2nd Vice President)

 

speeding

Problem

Everyone acknowledges that excessive speed in a neighborhood is a safety risk for those residents that live on, walk on and play on those neighborhood streets.  The CCNA neighborhood associations have collectively asked for assistance from the City in addressing the issues they are experiencing.

Committee Formed

CCNA established a committee in 2022, to address these concerns. The initial thought was to set up a speed monitoring and ticketing pilot program on selected neighborhood streets. For several reasons that pilot did not come to fruition.  There was a Speeding Study  early in 2023 that the committee felt clearly showed a problem, but the traffic division felt those results were within a “normal” range.  Lou Costa, CCNA Immediate Past President undated membership with a slide presentation at the May 6, 2023, Membership Meeting.

A Change in Focus – Traffic Calming

What is Traffic Calming?   The Federal Government’s Institute of Transportation Engineers defines traffic calming “as the combination of measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Traffic calming consists of physical design and other measures put in place on existing roads to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. For example, vertical deflections (speed humps, speed tables, and raised intersections), horizontal shifts, and roadway narrowing are intended to reduce speed and enhance the street environment for non-motorists. Closures that obstruct traffic movements in one or more directions, such as median barriers, are intended to reduce cut-through traffic. Traffic calming measures can be implemented at an intersection, street, neighborhood, or area-wide level.”

 Sarasota, like many communities use a “warrant system” to identify areas that merit the expense of adding traffic calming.  The committee concluded that “warrant system” was designed for already built urban areas and does not adequately address the needs of several of our neighborhoods, particularly those without sidewalks and curbs as presented at our June 3, 2023, Membership Meeting.
 
The committee has reformed adding several City staff to focus on finding workable solutions for our neighborhoods.
 
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