ANNA MARIA – City officials want to reevaluate three speed tables recently installed in the 500, 600 and 800 blocks of South Bay Boulevard as part of a street paving project.
On May 26, commissioners discussed the speed tables and heard concerns voiced by residents and property owners about the design and location of the new traffic calming devices. Thursday’s meeting also included brief discussion about the new speed bump installed by the humpback bridge on Crescent Drive.
Mayor Dan Murphy said the South Bay Boulevard speed tables have already produced compliments and complaints and were designed to be driven over at 25 mph.
“It will certainly get your attention if you’re going faster than that,” he said.
Pat Olesen lives in the 500 block of South Bay Boulevard. She suggested there was a lack of community input and advance notification before the speed tables were installed.
She also expressed concerns about the noise created by the vehicles passing over them and she questioned whether they can safely be driven over at 25 mph. Olesen said the speed tables may be better suited for vehicles traveling 5-10 mph and she requested the one on the 500 block be removed or relocated.
When addressing the commission, resident David Haddox said, “My concern is you cannot go 25 mph safely over that speed table. Is there another design we can explore that allows people to go closer to the speed limit but still accomplishes our goals of not allowing them to speed?”
Haddox also suggested gaps be cut in the speed tables so bicyclists can pass through them instead of over them.
Galati Yacht Sales is in the 900 block of South Bay Boulevard, and when addressing the commission, Chris Galati said, “My main concern for the city is the liability factor. If you hit one of those speed bumps at 25 (mph) you’re launching somebody to the ceiling of a vehicle. That is not an improvement.”
Galati said the speed tables break the flow of traffic and he’s already seen debris falling out of golf carts as they pass over them.
“It’s just a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
Galati questioned whether the speed tables were installed according to Florida Department of Transportation guidelines. Olesen then noted the guidelines she reviewed call for 3 to 4 inches of elevation and the South Bay Boulevard speed tables appear to be closer to 4 to 4.5 inches high.
Murphy noted the speed tables were part of the public discussions that took place prior to repaving of South Bay Boulevard, but he agreed that more public participation and notification would be beneficial. He also agreed with Haddox’s suggestion regarding gaps for bikes to pass through.
Before taking further action, Murphy recommended asking the city’s traffic engineer to review the speed table designs to determine whether they were installed according to state standards.
“We know what the specs are. It’s a matter of verifying that we got what we paid for,” Murphy said.
He noted the speed tables could be removed for $4,000 each if that’s the commission’s desire.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring said she’d not yet driven over the speed tables, but changes are needed if they don’t allow vehicles to pass over them at 25 mph.
Commissioner Jon Crane said, “Going forward, I’d like to make sure something that’s going to impact residential neighborhoods is better noticed – and maybe it was, I don’t know. I’ve never been a fan of speed bumps, but it was explained to us in a meeting and I voted for them.”
Commissioner Robert Kingan said the feedback he’s received has been 5-1 in favor of keeping the speed tables.
“If there is a problem with their installation in terms of the height, I absolutely agree that should be looked into. I like the idea of having the cut in the middle for bicycles. I certainly wouldn’t recommend taking them away at this point, but I would recommend making sure they are correctly installed and fit for service,” he said.
With Commissioner Mark Short absent, the commission reached unanimous consensus in support of a study Murphy recommended. Murphy said he would present the study results to the commission on Thursday, June 9.
Speed bump
Murphy said one temporary speed bump was recently installed on each side of the humpback bridge on Crescent Drive, near the Pine Avenue intersection, but the one on the north side of the bridge was removed due to complaints from residents about the noise made by vehicles passing over it.
Murphy said the remaining speed bump is not designed to be driven over at 25 mph and was installed to see what could be quickly done to alleviate speeding over a bridge that’s also frequently used by pedestrians.
“It’s a pedestrian fatality waiting to happen. It’s very narrow, there’s blind corners,” Murphy said.
Kingan said the speed bump and the warning signs on both sides of the bridge have slowed traffic.
“I feel much safer going over that bridge now as a pedestrian. Not completely safe, but safer,” Kingan said.
Public Works Manager Dean Jones said the speed bump has made it safer for his staff to get in and out of the nearby Public Works building.
No commission action was requested or taken regarding the Crescent Drive speed bump.
