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Options Discussed For Speed Tables

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By KATHY STEELE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2008

HIGHLAND PINES - Residents will not get the speed tables they want, but city officials have pledged to try other options to slow down motorists on 21st Avenue.

Although a 2006 city traffic study showed the road qualified for the tables, Tampa Fire Rescue officials say those would slow emergency response times and potentially put lives at risk. The main roads into Highland Pines are 21st and Melburne Boulevard.

"There does need to be some things to slow traffic down," Tampa Fire Marshal Todd Spear said. "There are other options."

The city is offering a crosswalk with signal, a median, new road signs and two radar signs to display vehicle speed. Residents, who have lobbied for speed tables for 10 years, are skeptical that the city will follow through and that the measures will work.

"We have to beg and plead for little things that other neighborhoods have. I'm sick of it," said Betty Bell, president of the Highland Pines Neighborhood Association.

Motorists ignore flashing lights, she said.

"Who's going to be here to say stop?" Bell said.

About a dozen residents met Jan. 10 with five representatives from city departments including transportation and fire rescue. Spear met with residents in November and said he would return after more discussion with transportation officials.

Residents say children are at risk because of heavy traffic and speeders. Neighborhood youngsters walk to and from Oak Park Elementary School on 46th Street and Highland Pines Park on 21st.

"We're in a Catch-22," said Sarah Barnum, responding to Spear's assessment of the dilemma. "We risk a life to save a life is what you're saying."

The traffic study tallied almost 4,000 daily trips on 21st, with about 15 percent of vehicles clocked at 40 mph or more in the 25 mph zone.

Traffic analysis supervisor William Porth said volume as well as speed are issues.

"You've got a double whammy," he said.

But there was no chance for speed tables given the fire department's concerns, he said, noting that fire officials have objected to speed tables only a few times in eight years.

Porth said he talked with police about extra monitoring of the road.

"I think we all understand the frustration," he said.

Bell and the association have applied repeatedly through the years for federal grants for speed tables. In 2007, on the recommendation of the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership, the city approved a budget that included $65,000 for speed tables, only to learn that fire officials objected.

The $65,000 will pay for the city's alternate plan.

Residents tried to pin down a completion date. The first response was "this year," dependent upon bids and hiring contractors. Later, residents were told work could be under way within 60 days.

"We don't have a magic button," said James Jackson, the city's planning and design manager. "We are agents of government. We abide by certain rules in selecting firms."

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.

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