To Janice and all duly involved about the deterioration of Bannerman Road, there may be excellent news, a widening project is in the combine. The not so excellent news is that project building is just not scheduled to start till the spring of 2024, working to the finish of 2027. Which can be optimistic.
If I perceive appropriately this Blueprint project consists of widening Bannerman Road to 4 lanes from Quail Frequent Drive to Preservation Road and including a median to offer left turns lanes from Preservation Road to the deliberate Meridian Road round intersection (roundabout).
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Current Summerbrooke residents can be very grateful for the conclusion of this project, nonetheless, I envision the Summerbrooke improvement to work its approach into prime undeveloped actual property to the west.
Additionally, if historical past teaches us something there may be each purpose to imagine the vacant property east of Meridian Road and north of Bannerman will explode with improvement.
Really all properties adjoining to this intersection. It’s these two eventualities which ought to information planners and engineers at Blueprint and Leon County to increase the full four-lane project to Meridian Road. Now we have a good alternative to get forward of the inflow of individuals and visitors as a substitute of ready for visitors saturation to materialize.
Why no optimism for a project already behind the improvement curve?
Proper-of-Approach acquisition. Taking non-public property is traditionally a stumbling block for street building and I don’t anticipate this project to be any completely different.
So, in the interim, let’s ask the Blueprint engineers to decorate the north and south shoulders and stabilize the fringe of pavement by including 12 inches of asphalt between Tekesta Drive and Meridian Road. We’ll all be safer for it.
Confusion on Lafayette Road
Q. Lee has discovered he’s not the solely westbound driver on Lafayette Road approaching the Franklin Boulevard/ South Meridian Road intersection to be confused when taking a look at a inexperienced visitors sign considering he might proceed a easy transition round the single free-flow lane west to north solely to have horns blaring at him.
Drivers rounding the nook west to north imagine they’ve the proper of approach ensuing in fender scrapes and close to misses with westbound vehicles sweeping off South Meridian Road into northbound Franklin Boulevard. When this occurred to Lee his consideration was dropped at a yield signal sitting in the bodily island separating westbound through visitors from the west to north turning visitors. Lee admits he by no means seen the yield signal.
A. Lee I imagine you and others haven’t seen the yield signal as a result of it blends into the background precisely at the place everyone seems to be trying left to deal with visitors approaching from the left.
We’re accustomed, really taught, to count on visitors management indicators governing our lane to be on our proper. I’m certain the considering was honorable in attempting to offer the finest goal worth when putting the yield signal to face drivers head-on. The place in all probability works very properly at night time. Let’s ask our Tallahassee visitors security guys to put in one other yield signal on the righthand shoulder letting the one in the island be the backup.
Hats off to first responders
Q. C. Henry shares his personal expertise with the effectivity and dedication of our first responders at Tallahassee Worldwide Airport. C. Henry was flying in the neighborhood of Tallahassee when he had purpose to request the TLH controllers clear him for an instantaneous touchdown. Which was granted.
He didn’t declare an emergency and didn’t request emergency tools be dispatched. Nonetheless, as he received nearer whereas making ready to land he seen the emergency response workforce was in place to render any assist crucial. C. Henry takes this chance to thank the tower controllers and first responders at Tallahassee Worldwide Airport.
A. Thanks, C. Henry. Sure, hometown Tallahassee air vacationers and our many guests might relaxation assured when seconds rely TLH first responders place themselves seconds away. We in aviation salute you Tallahassee fire-rescue for putting yourselves at the incident earlier than the incident occurs.
Roundabouts once more
Q. Clearly a proponent of roundabouts (round intersections) Robert shares some fascinating statistics. They save drivers time and are a lot safer. They’re extra widespread in Europe the place the U.Okay. has one roundabout each 3.6 sq. miles, France one per 8.Three sq. miles whereas the U. S. has only one each 1,300 sq. miles.
A. Incorporate into the design flyover pedestrian walkways and I’m in. Finding out these items over a number of years has revealed a good quantity are at intersections the place college kids should cross twice every day.
I ask everybody concerned in planning roundabouts, designing roundabouts or demanding roundabouts be constructed to go to a busy multilane intersection. Place your self subsequent to the street able to cross, crouch all the way down to the altitude of a baby so that you get the wind, mud and particles in your face.
This attitude will terrify the most daring grownup as you continually swivel your head searching for a break in visitors so you’ll be able to run like mad to get your little Three foot body throughout Four lanes of battleground with out getting smushed into the pavement.
After you get an precise dose of what a baby experiences then come again to me along with your roundabout demand. I imagine your thought will embody overhead pedestrian walkways. You might even come again wanting a 4-way signalized intersection with protected pedestrian crosswalks.
Robert, you might be mixing apples and oranges whenever you examine 3.Eight million sq. miles of America when all of Europe is Four million sq. miles. Additionally, folks in Europe journey quick city distances by bus or trolley or on bicycles. Kids in Switzerland journey to and from college on trains. There may be little to no alternative for that in America.
Everybody asking about the proposed intersection design at Miccosukee Road and Dempsey Mayo Road. It’s to be a roundabout.
Philip Stuart is a retired Florida State Trooper, Visitors Operations Tasks Engineer and Forensics Skilled Witness. Write to crashsites@embarqmail.com.
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