Wishing we listened to the expert Michael Wallwork P.E. the first time, the Burns Square area hired him again to study his 2005 proposal to the Burns Square property owners. During the 2005 charrette with Ramon Trias, Mr. Wallwork studied the dangerous and ineffective intersection at Orange and Pineapple Avenues. He came up with three proposals, one of them being a roundabout.
The scheduling of the Storm Water drainage project by Sarasota County for this intersection got the property owners refocused on improving this crossing. If the area was going to be completely torn up, everyone wanted to see if any improvements could be made when it was put back together. Bill Dennis reintroduced the Mr. Wallwork concept of a roundabout this past summer. In order to assist the city, the Burns Square property owners paid for Mr. Wallwork to create a conceptual design.
We are pleased the roundabout will work in the Orange/Pineapple location and will add many advantages to the area which could not be realized with the Orange/Alderman roundabout. In addition to a number of benefits the city and the area merchants will also be able to capitalize on the synergy with the County's Storm Water drainage project starting April 2008. The cooperative effort will allow the merchants to only have to deal with construction on Orange Avenue once.
Benefits the roundabout will bring to our mixed-use area:
1. Make Pedestrian Space a Priority over the Vehicles
2. Connectivity, Access for Customers within Core Shopping area
3. Allow continued Bus Service and Emergency Vehicle Access
4. Accommodate High Volumes of Traffic
5. More Pedestrian Space and Street Trees
6. Pedestrian Safety - 30mph 50/50 chance survival/40mph 20% chance survival/20mph 95% CHANCE OF SURVIVAL
7. Slower Speeds at highest use Pedestrian crossing as well as merchant awareness
8. Addition of Cross Walks - new cross walk on Orange Avenue
9. Gateway Entrance, Mark beginning of Downtown
10. On-Street Parking added
11. Reduction of Traffic Lanes down to 2 instead of 4
The conceptual design had to shift current vehicular compromises that already exist on the main thoroughfare that affects a large customer base to the side streets which effects a small customer base. Vehicles exiting Oak Street onto Orange Avenue can only take a left turn in the current design which may change. A vehicle may have to use Rawls to Alderman or go around the block in Burns Square. But as quoted by the Laurel Park Neighborhood Association President, Ms. Deborah Dart in the November 1, 2007 Pelican Press, "You just turn and go around the block like you do everywhere else downtown." Seems simple to us too.
GUEST COLUMN BY DENISE KOWAL - CONNECTIVITY
Guest columnist Denise Kowal, Herald Tribune September 24, 2007
SARASOTA SHOULD JOIN THE MANY CITIES THAT HAVE REMOVED HIGHWAYS
The de-designation of U.S. 41 is one of the most important components the Downtown Sarasota Master Plan 2020, which was adopted with enthusiasm by the City Commission by a unanimous vote. The costs were high, the benefits were obvious and it was understood that great things take work. A mobility study group was put together by the city to move this initiative forward.
Little did we know we were being swept up in a political and emotional battle that had very little to do with good urban planning or common sense. One former commissioner actually stated, "I know it (de-designation) is the right thing to do, but it would kill me politically." How can our city be handed a home run within our master plan and yet to our dismay have our City Commission continue to strike out in implementing it?
I first heard about the option to move the highway away from the waterfront from New Urbanist Andres Duany several years ago during the Downtown Master Plan charettes. I also learned we are not alone in facing this challenge. Many cities, for many reasons, are removing highways along their waterfronts. In fact, there are cities not only facing the de-designation challenges but also successfully tackling them and getting the highways removed with great success.
Through the Congress of New Urbanism, I have had the opportunity to hear John Norquist, president and CEO, speak of his efforts while mayor of Milwaukee to reclaim its waterway. While we cower in fear over impacts to the mighty automobile and minimize the benefits of de-designation, other, truly progressive cities have been doing what we think is unthinkable. Here are a few examples:
Milwaukee removed the Park East Freeway, one of the largest highways to ever be purposely destroyed, led by Norquist, who said, "The DOTs simply think of these areas as a places to drive through, but this is your city. This is a place with real value."
San Francisco removed the Embarcadero Freeway after an earthquake. This was after two citizens' initiatives failed because the majority of citizens believed the highway department, saying they could not afford to lose the highway. The city now uses its grid system of streets instead and has no noticeable increase in traffic congestion.
The city had such success that it tore down a second highway, the Central Freeway, replacing it with boulevards with about 50 percent of the vehicular capacity.
Seattle, through the People's Waterfront Coalition, led by Cary Moon, is successful in gaining momentum in removing the Alaskan Way Viaduct that blocked off the city in the 1950s.
Trenton wanted to get the river back for its state Capitol and surrounding neighborhoods from a highway constructed in the 1950s. Ingrid Reed has been instrumental in the movement.
Providence is removing Interstate 95 from its downtown -- imagine that!
Vancouver, which is a fabulous urban city, never had any highways and today will not allow any more road growth to force people into the downtown to use the grid system.
If we want livable communities, transportation must be subordinate to urban design and we need to start using the tools we adopted, the Downtown Sarasota Master Plan 2020 and the SmartCode. As with any major change, critics will find a thousand reasons why this can't be done. This current effort will be no exception to that rule.
Every city I mentioned faced the same types of criticism. But isn't it time we saw past our auto-mindedness and took our bayfront back, connected our neighborhoods and welcomed traffic calmly into our city instead of allowing it to swarm around us like a bunch of bees?
I say it is, and many others agree. Will you join us?
Little did we know we were being swept up in a political and emotional battle that had very little to do with good urban planning or common sense. One former commissioner actually stated, "I know it (de-designation) is the right thing to do, but it would kill me politically." How can our city be handed a home run within our master plan and yet to our dismay have our City Commission continue to strike out in implementing it?
I first heard about the option to move the highway away from the waterfront from New Urbanist Andres Duany several years ago during the Downtown Master Plan charettes. I also learned we are not alone in facing this challenge. Many cities, for many reasons, are removing highways along their waterfronts. In fact, there are cities not only facing the de-designation challenges but also successfully tackling them and getting the highways removed with great success.
Through the Congress of New Urbanism, I have had the opportunity to hear John Norquist, president and CEO, speak of his efforts while mayor of Milwaukee to reclaim its waterway. While we cower in fear over impacts to the mighty automobile and minimize the benefits of de-designation, other, truly progressive cities have been doing what we think is unthinkable. Here are a few examples:
Milwaukee removed the Park East Freeway, one of the largest highways to ever be purposely destroyed, led by Norquist, who said, "The DOTs simply think of these areas as a places to drive through, but this is your city. This is a place with real value."
San Francisco removed the Embarcadero Freeway after an earthquake. This was after two citizens' initiatives failed because the majority of citizens believed the highway department, saying they could not afford to lose the highway. The city now uses its grid system of streets instead and has no noticeable increase in traffic congestion.
The city had such success that it tore down a second highway, the Central Freeway, replacing it with boulevards with about 50 percent of the vehicular capacity.
Seattle, through the People's Waterfront Coalition, led by Cary Moon, is successful in gaining momentum in removing the Alaskan Way Viaduct that blocked off the city in the 1950s.
Trenton wanted to get the river back for its state Capitol and surrounding neighborhoods from a highway constructed in the 1950s. Ingrid Reed has been instrumental in the movement.
Providence is removing Interstate 95 from its downtown -- imagine that!
Vancouver, which is a fabulous urban city, never had any highways and today will not allow any more road growth to force people into the downtown to use the grid system.
If we want livable communities, transportation must be subordinate to urban design and we need to start using the tools we adopted, the Downtown Sarasota Master Plan 2020 and the SmartCode. As with any major change, critics will find a thousand reasons why this can't be done. This current effort will be no exception to that rule.
Every city I mentioned faced the same types of criticism. But isn't it time we saw past our auto-mindedness and took our bayfront back, connected our neighborhoods and welcomed traffic calmly into our city instead of allowing it to swarm around us like a bunch of bees?
I say it is, and many others agree. Will you join us?
BURNS COURT CINEMA IS NOT MOVING
For some reason a few individuals chose to spread a rumor that the Burns Court Cinema was moving out of Burns Square...then the press caught wind and printed the rumor, never asking us. We in Burns Square tried to stop the rumor as it spun out of control, pleading for someone to just ask us the truth but nobody did. We can only apologize for any heartache this caused our thousands of loyal customers and want you to know we did the best we could. Please continue to enjoy our charming cinema, Burns Court Cinema, Sarasota's only independent film theater.
Members of the Cinema enjoy added benefits. To become a member of the Sarasota Film Socity go to www.filmsociety.org, they are a non-profit organization bringing the best in independent films to all of us in Sarasota.
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