Cut lanes? Street designer pans Vero Beach Twin Pairs, but residents must determine future
When I was asked to tag along with a group taking a “renowned street designer” on a tour of Vero Beach’s downtown, I couldn't pass it up.
After all, I’ve heard some folks whine about the one-way Twin Pairs ― four lanes of State Road 60 westbound and three eastbound ― since its completion in the early 1990s.
The segments of State Road 60 through downtown ― previously two-way roads ― have been blamed for killing downtown and creating safety, parking and speeding problems.
Downtown died in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but was reborn after significant investment, largely renovations by the Brackett family, and a turning economy about 2010. The parking issue is another red herring. I never had a problem in eight years of working downtown
Alleged safety and speeding issues were debunked in 2021 studies, before City Council, including Mayor Robbie Brackett, recommended a plan, to be paid for by the Florida Department of Transportation, to slow traffic. It would have narrowed lanes (keeping three each way), widened bike lanes and added crosswalks.
Facing an extreme proposal
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What she said during the campaign: Council candidate Linda Moore talks slowing downtown Vero Beach traffic
Commonsense solutions: There’s a simple way to improve Vero Beach’s Twin Pairs
Panacea elsewhere? Houston means one step closer to road diet while Vero Beach plots Twin Pairs lane cuts
But last December, newly elected council members John Carroll and Linda Moore (whose viewpoint changed from what she told us during the campaign) and incumbent Rey Neville proposed deleting three lanes and adding parking.
The trio, joined by Mayor John Cotugno, voted to spend $165,000 on a study showing what we all knew: Even if lanes are eliminated, the road would still handle traffic OK.
The wasteful study and the trio's continued insistence on dramatically changing the road have stoked divisiveness in town, as folks are passionate on both sides of the lane-reduction issue.
Back to the tour. It was interesting, even if Brackett ― the lone person there I knew was anti-lane elimination ― had to leave early.
He told Dover about his decades-long history owning property downtown (and living nearby) and how rents have increased sufficiently. He cited success of the new ice cream shop in his Florida Theatre building.
Potential on south side of westbound leg?
Brackett's chief issue with downtown: Get the city and property owners to keep things as clean and well-maintained as is done in the oceanside business district.
As the tour headed west along the 20th Place sidewalk from Coffee House 1420, in a building owned by Joe Cataldo, some folks in the group cited the noisy traffic.
We crossed to the south ― traffic stopped for us ― at the courthouse, then headed back east. Some of the sidewalk was narrower, and folks noted how they’d never walked along that side of the road.
That’s the side where Cataldo sees the most potential. Some in the group noted a widened sidewalk would help and possibly encourage owners to improve their properties, maybe evolving from leasing to nonprofits to opening restaurants with outdoor dining.
My take: I’ve walked that stretch only once or twice, not that I consider it dangerous. There’s little reason to go there unless you are heading to an office (or Ski’s Hideaway restaurant). Why are legal offices, which relatively few of us visit, there? It’s right across from the courthouse. It’s why 16th Avenue needs a crosswalk.
What is purpose of the Twin Pairs?
I don’t think changing the street ― the main east-west route in our rapidly growing county ― will persuade property owners to change. Adam Chrzan, one of the lawyers on the street, encourages clients to park in the alley parking lot at the rear of his office.
The south side discussion led into a good questions Dover — who thinks the Twin Pairs "deformed" the city — posed.
“What is this street really for?” he asked, noting all roads don’t have to have the same mission. “You have to decide.”
To me, the Twin Pairs are thoroughfares — not locations for streetside cafes. Those are better suited for several other streets in town.
As we neared 14th Avenue on the westbound segment, a blue Mercedes sedan heading eastbound slowly came toward us. Brackett jogged into the road to warn the driver he was going the wrong way, then directed him to his location.
Which put an exclamation point on a comment fellow tourist Bob Stanley made to me: He’d like to see more signs pointing to downtown highlights: stores, sights, parking and more.
Mayor John Cotugno offered his take on the Twin Pairs to Dover:
“It bifurcated the downtown and it bifurcated the citizens,” the mayor said, noting the longtime divisive nature of the issue. Dover appreciated the thought.
“That’s a better place to start (when finding a solution) rather than apathy,” said Dover, who was in town July 18 and 19 in-between a trip to and from his Miami-area office and Lake Wales, where he is working on downtown designs.
Dover has a master agreement to work with Vero Beach's planning department, but was not on the clock. The tour was arranged by Irina Woelfle, an Indian River County resident who said she has been trying to engage the community on various issues since she in 2020 worked with a peer of Dover’s, Andres Duany, on plans for the three corners the city owns at 17th Street and Indian River Boulevard.
A public health issue?
Dover sees the Twin Pairs as a “giant opportunity.”
“It’s a system designed by asphalt mongers for asphalt mongers,” he said, noting its width encourages speeding. “The right thing to do when you’re going fast is to spread out.”
Instead of getting people from here to there faster, width has the opposite effect, he said. Though counterintuitive, he added, the most efficient speed is 26 or 27 mph to keep cars moving efficiently.
Because of Twin Pairs design, Dover said, downtown Vero Beach has been victimized by “blight,” "unleasable space," “noise,” “pollution” and “safety” issues by planners who “prioritized speed over safety and stress.
“If we were prioritizing public health, we would do it differently,” he said, noting pedestrians and bicyclists are the most vulnerable. “The poor conditions are very below what you deserve.
“This has the making of a dramatic before and after picture,” he said. “It can only go up from here.”
Dover seemed to understand Cotugno’s point of a divided population and the politics involved. The reality, Cotugno said, is both sides might have to give a little to get something done.
“You won’t have everything that has 100% best practices,” Dover said. “You have to be willing to say, 'This as good as it’s going to get.' ”
I agree (but not with some of his previous assumptions, which seemed contradictory to Brackett's). As soon as Carroll, Moore and Neville come down from their mountaintop, the more Vero Beach can focus on bigger issues. And the community, as it did with the Three Corners, can unite behind them.
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Planner pans downtown Vero Beach 'blight'; ex-Mayor Brackett disagrees
