ANNA MARIA – With the conclusion of the last Reimagining Pine Avenue public information meeting, traffic engineer Gerry Traverso is working on a report detailing potential safety and traffic efficiency improvements.
The report is expected to be presented to the city commission in mid-August, rather than on July 29 as originally planned.
The third and final public information meeting took place on Tuesday, July 20, drawing about 20 residents and business owners along with Mayor Dan Murphy and the city commission.
The meeting provided a final opportunity for the public to provide initial input regarding the Pine Avenue corridor that also includes Spring Avenue and Magnolia Avenue and the connecting sections of Gulf Drive to South Bay Boulevard.
Coleman weighs in
Anna Maria resident and longtime local businessman Mike Coleman joined the public discussion during Tuesday’s meeting. Coleman, Ed Chiles and Ted LaRoche led the development of the Pine Avenue Restoration (PAR) mixed-use properties that began in 2007.
“I’m pretty sure I have more practical physical knowledge of Pine Avenue than anybody else, because we built it – and we built it with a single purpose in mind; to create a walkable community,” Coleman said.
The PAR development includes unpaved, meandering pathways that serve as alternatives to the straight-line concrete sidewalks that exist elsewhere in the corridor.
“Some people raised a concern that the existing sidewalks were behind the cars, so people were at risk walking down the sidewalk with cars backing out. It just seemed to be simpler to put the sidewalks (pathways) in front of the cars, which is what we did. I’ve heard them called ‘phantom sidewalks.’ Most people know they’re there. They’re marked a little bit, but not as good as they could be,” Coleman said.
“People my age don’t walk out into the street. The people I see walking out on the street are younger families. Once in a while, I’ll stop them and say, ‘We built a pathway right over there for you so you won’t get hit by a bus,’ ” he added.
“What I hope for is a rational solution that can be embraced by the community. If safety is the issue, then the separation of pedestrians and vehicles should be the first step,” Coleman said.
He said flooding where the concrete sidewalks don’t drain well forces pedestrians into the road. He suggested replacing the concrete sidewalks and unpaved pathways with pervious paver sidewalks that provide better drainage. He said the goal should be to create a wide, visible walkway that attracts pedestrians.
Coleman opposes transforming Pine Avenue and Magnolia Avenue into one-way streets, as previously discussed.
“That never made sense to me to take traffic off Pine Avenue where businesspeople want traffic and put it into the neighborhoods where people don’t want traffic,” he said.
Additional concerns
Holmes Beach resident Nancy Deal said she and her husband frequently ride their bikes to Anna Maria and often sit outside of Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café and observe the traffic at the corner of Gulf Drive and Magnolia Avenue.
Deal said the area along Gulf Drive where the mixed-use path and the bike path end near Slim’s Place is among the most dangerous on the Island to ride a bike because there’s no designated travel area for bicyclists. She suggested creating a bike path or bike lane from Slim’s Place to Magnolia Avenue. She also said there’s not much space along Pine Avenue for bicyclists.
Anna Maria resident Jean Murray said the parallel parking along Pine Avenue makes it more difficult for bicyclists.
Joining the discussion for the first time, AMI Outfitters owner Yetta Levitt said she opposes restricting delivery trucks to 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. only, as previously discussed. She said AMI Outfitters doesn’t open until 9 a.m. and she’s concerned that packages left earlier and unattended could get stolen. She said her daily UPS and FedEx deliveries are important to her business operations and the smaller delivery trucks do not block Pine Avenue.
“I would strongly encourage you not to restrict deliveries,” she said.
City Commissioner Deanie Sebring said a resident told her two large delivery trucks recently parked side by side near The Waterfront restaurant and completely blocked that end of Spring Avenue for more than 10 minutes.
Longtime Anna Maria resident Peggy Sawe offered the most extreme suggestion when she proposed implementing certain times when motor vehicles are not allowed to enter Anna Maria Island. She also said the three Island cities need to be more unified in their efforts to address safety, traffic and congestion issues.
Pine Avenue business owner Janalee Gallagher said Pine Avenue is currently a “free for all” with all the different users and modes of transportation sharing that space.
As a teenager, Anna Maria resident Quinton Concilus learned to drive on the streets of Anna Maria. He said he recently took his teenage son out for a practice drive in Anna Maria which was quickly terminated due to the traffic and congestion. Concilus also suggested all crosswalks throughout the city be identical to create consistency for pedestrians and motorists.
Sgt. Brett Getman from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to comments made at the previous meeting regarding the enforcement of laws and regulations pertaining to pedestrians and other Pine Avenue corridor users.
Getman encouraged meeting attendees to take one of his business cards.
“Get a hold of me. Call us. We don’t see everything. We can’t be everywhere at once. If you see something, don’t hesitate to call. If you don’t say something, we can’t respond to it. Send me an email if you have any questions or issues. If you want to sit down and talk to me, I’ll be more than happy to,” he said.
To contact Getman and/or the Anna Maria Unit by phone call 941-708-6130 ext. 130, or email brett-getman@manateesheriff.com.
