Tharpe Street sidewalk concerns deserve immediate attention | Street Scene

Q. In May, 2017, six years ago, Street Scene first addressed the concerns residents have with West Tharpe Street between Ocala Road and Blountstown Street. Today Gary and Sue ask: why does this section of Tharpe Street continue to be a forgotten road?

A. Every person responsible for public safety inside Tallahassee City Hall, Leon County Courthouse, Florida DOT, USDOT, and the FHWA understand the urgency to bring, at minimum, a less dangerous condition for pedestrians walking along a beaten dirt path and through deep ditches dangerously close to the edge of a two-lane road hosting fast moving traffic. Now we learn it will take another six years to secure funding for a project already 18 years-in-waiting.

Street Scene finds this lack of urgency for the safety of our citizens in this area of Tallahassee unconscionable. Each year the U.S. Department of Transportation through various agencies such as those funding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the National Safer Routes to School (SRTS) program and numerous others provide safety money for sidewalk construction. (and bike paths).

It is past time to get the children walking this unnavigable treacherous roadside pedestrian boobytrap which are sometimes forced out of rain filled trenches and onto the lane of traffic before another dead body is found in the road.

Transportation Safety Professionals of every stripe: you must put aside your focus on the obviously pie in the sky master plan to widen Tharpe Street and immediately turn your attention to protect the people, especially the children, you put in jeopardy every day. They are walking slippery slopes and a sometimes muddy trail which detours pedestrians into the street as they are unable navigate deep ditches full of water, a challenge even in dry weather.

Find the readily available funds and construct sidewalks. You say the new sidewalks we install today will only be ripped up when construction begins in 20 years. So what! We all know it might be even longer. I’m talking about immediately saving children and adults a dangerous and possibly deadly trek to and from schools, bus stops, work and shops.

Curb on Chaires Cross Road

Q. Doug believes the concrete curb on the north east corner of U.S. 27 and Chaires Cross Road should be cut back because trucks and school buses have to bump over the curb when a vehicle is occupying the (south to east) left turn lane.

A. Doug I believe that the curb and gutter section is in place to channel rainwater away from the road. There are also somewhat hefty utility poles in the area carrying heavy electrical transmission lines which may become convenient targets of poor driving should the curb be removed. Bumping over a curb is far better than bringing down electricity to countless homes and businesses.

Address numbers required

Q. Matt, in his response to Street Scene’s answer to Camo’s difficulty in finding street numbers, refers us to Tallahassee Florida’s Land Development Code Article 1. In General, Section 3-1 -Building Numbers. “…new and existing buildings SHALL have approved address numbers placed in a position to be plainly legible and visible from the street….”

A. Thank you Matt, you found the word “shall” which signifies mandatory when used in the context of government rules, regulations, and the law. So, there you go Camo. A note to all landlords and property owners in Tallahassee, street numbers are mandatory.

Interstate widening

Q. Taylor asks Street Scene if there is a plan to widen I-75 between Ocala and Wildwood? This stretch is years behind needing to be widened to handle the increased traffic that flows through there.

A. To fund the Florida Department of Transportation “I-75 Forward” project Governor DeSantis has asked the Florida Legislature for $475 million to pay for the widening of I-75 from State Road 326 in Marion County to State Road 44 in Sumter County. A section of the FDOT “I-75 Forward” project within your area of inquiry, Taylor. I understand the funding will be approved allowing construction to begin early to mid-2025.

Bicycles defined

Q. Lee brings attention to our Street Scene column addressing bicycle safety wherein I included Georgia law holds bicycles as vehicles. Lee wants everyone to know the same is true in Florida.

A. Thank you Lee. Effective 7-1-2021 the bicycle in Florida is legally defined as a vehicle allowing all the privileges, rights, and responsibilities on public roads (excluding expressways) that a motor vehicle operator has. Caution: the operative word here is “responsibilities”; acquire from any FHP station a Florida Driver Licence Handbook and become familiar with it. You may also write to HSMV Neil Kirkman Building 2900 Apalachee Parkway. Or download a copy at flhsmv.gov.

Directional signs for I-10

Q. Ricky has seen a lot of out-of-town tags northbound on Capital Circle NE missing the directional signs guiding them left onto Raymond Diehl Road to access eastbound I-10. When they realize they are in the wrong lane they try to cut across three lanes of congested traffic causing more congestion and risk. Since both east and west access to I-10 can be achieved by turning left onto Raymond Diehl placing an “I-10 LEFT LANE” sign further south on Capital Circle would be helpful.

A. Ricky is another of many examples of a Street Scene reader advocating for, not only transportation safety, but for their beloved Tallahassee community. Large directional signs for northbound traffic placed further south on CCNE is the solution to the driver confusion you see happening. However I suggest we might not want to take all Interstate traffic left onto Raymond Diehl road. Let’s continue the westbound I-10 traffic over the overpass and left onto the westbound on-ramp so as not to saturate the already very busy Thomasville Road - Raymond Diehl intersection.

When our Tallahassee traffic engineers finally get serious about positive traffic control you will see your large overhead directional signs cantilevered over Capital Circle well in advance of this problem location, as well as other roads and streets as we see happening in every city experiencing driver confusion of lane assessments.

Mistakes will happen

Q. J. Roger observed a large pickup truck eastbound on Miccosukee Road attempting to make a U-turn at the entrance to CVS Pharmacy but was unable to clear the curb so stopped and started to back up when another driver was turning left into CVS. Fortunately, the pickup stopped before hitting the second car.

The left turn storage lane into CVS does not have a No U-Turn sign. Should one be installed? I do not know the solution for drivers making U-turns where there is an obvious lack of clearance.

A. J. Roger, what you are asking is, how to fix stupid. Something we seem to be programming into many people lately, then, it appears, we hand out driver licenses to these people with no sense of the obvious. No, I don’t think we need a turn restriction here, if we did we would be sending errant traffic into a narrow two lane road unnecessarily. There is no pickup truck on the market so large it is unable to execute a U-turn at this intersection unless he is towing a 31-foot Bertram Boat.

Philip Stuart is a retired Florida State Trooper, Traffic Operations Projects Engineer and Forensics Expert Witness. Write to crashsites@embarqmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Lack of action on Tharpe Street sidewalks puts children in peril