Wednesday, November 24. 2009

The Sarasota Mobility Context:

The City’s adopted 2020 Master Plan and the 2004 Downtown Mobility Plan foresees a context-

sensitive necklace of Sarasota roundabouts in a New Urbanism framework for a multi-modal

transportation system.

The modern roundabouts for Sarasota downtown and US 41 form a roundabout “network,” a

term now oft used by mobility experts. Cities have come to recognize roundabout “networks”

deliver more than first expected to a City (Bend OR and San Diego/Bird Rock CA examples

below), improving quality of City Life for all residents whether on foot or wheels or living

nearby….improving property values/raising the tax base, lowering auto insurance rates, lowering

noise/air pollution, on top of lessening accident cost and injury. A network exponentially

expands these values.

Sarasota County has that same view with a series of six roundabouts to be constructed along the

Honore extension at Brookmeade, Weber, Colonial Oaks, Palm, Sawgrass, and Camus along

with the major roundabout at Venice Ave/Jacaranda Blvd. in Venice. A series of three

roundabouts can be experienced today in the Benderson retail development at University

Parkway near I-75.

Other USA Cities are living the safety and economic benefits of networks that connect multiple

series of modern roundabouts:

San Diego/Bird Rock CA http://orchidsandonions.org/2009/06/2/bird-rock-roundabouts-and-traffic-calming

This City of San Diego project converted a 4-lane street into a two-lane street with landscaped

median and additional parking. It also converted conventional intersection controls at five

intersections to modern roundabouts. The roundabouts allow the street to handle motor vehicle

traffic demand with fewer lanes while keeping traffic moving at a steady but civilized pace. As a

result, La Jolla Blvd. has become a much more inviting street for pedestrian and bicyclist, which

in turn seems to have revived commercial activity along the street. . /.

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SanDiego/Bird Rock Network.

SanDiego/Bird Rock Before & After

BEND OREGON: http://www.ci.bend.or.us/roundabouts/

Bend, Oregon bills itself “Oregon’s roundabout capital” using a network of 22 single lane

roundabouts to create a multi-modal mobility system. The city of 81,000 in 32 square miles

observed key principles of balanced use, street grid connectivity, and multi-modal. Result

delivered reduced vehicle miles traveled, greater peak hour spread with land use variety, with

walking and biking viable choices. Slower speeds also facilitated on-street parking. The

combination of less stringent access management, on-street parking, and reduced street noise,

creates business-friendly streets and allows for a mix of land uses (residential/commercial of

various sizes) to comfortably and successfully occur. These features enable smaller scale

commercial developments to be vital.

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Bend OR Network

The Sarasota Context:

Ringling Blvd has never attracted enough volume to justify four lanes of asphalt. Reducing

Ringling’s five lanes at Palm (with blocked turn lane-see pic below) to two lanes at the

intersection opens the curb lane for new parking for the Palm retailers, the church, and condo/apt

residents/guests. Palm as is has accidents. Walkers and bikers use the intersection. Nothing

appealing about it (note the ugly “stop-signs-in-asphalt” in the Palm photo below). A modern

roundabout reduces the pedestrian journey across five lanes of asphalt without refuge to two

lanes with a landscaped safe refuge between the two. The risk of broadside vehicle collision

would be removed. Vehicle and pedestrian accident risk is reduced.

The church adjacent to Palm recognizes the larger and local attendant and convenience

roundabout values. The Palm Avenue retailers, and, likely, Pineapple Square, do as well. Palm Ave/Ringling as is - 5 lanes of asphalt w bikers/walkers -- New Urbanism aesthetics is where?

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Meanwhile the Ringling/US 41 intersection is currently configured multi-lanes in all four

directions with lots of pavement—along with lots of unneeded pavement at Palm/Ringling

The Bayfront concept "downgrades" the Ringling east west entry to less asphalt (and more

greenery) lined up to be compatible and functioning with the one lane in/out of the Palm Ave

roundabout and the Pineapple roundabout.

Ringling Blvd from Palm to US41 as is – too much asphalt

The Practical Context:

The Palm, Pineapple Five Points and Burns Square Alderman roundabouts can be completed in

2010, which delivers a downtown roundabout network that a) well serves the neighborhood and

traffic there, b) is a practice model setting the stage for easier and quicker acceptance of the

multi-lane Bayfront corridor roundabouts, c) demonstrates the City gets things done, and d)

timely uses MPO committed funds for a thoroughly scrutinized purpose.

The Downtown/US41Network of Modern Roundabouts in Series

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The Downtown/US 41 Network

A Downtown network with three series (east/west Pineapple, Palm, to US 41, and north/south

Five Points, Pineapple to Burns Square/Alderman connecting to the US 41 series of five or six

roundabouts along US 41 from 14th

to Osprey. That’s a mobility network, each roundabout

operating in collaboration with its neighbor contributes to the effectiveness of the next. The

outcome is a safer, quicker flow for wheels and foot in a new greener sense of place and

livability… a place you want to be rather than have to be.

Rod Warner, Connectivity Chair

3648 Tangier Terrace

Sarasota, Fl 34239

924 2400

email: thecityalliance@comcast.net