WALLWORK REHIRED FOR WORK ON ROUNDABOUT

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.