Welcome to the new Betton Road | Opinion
The long wait for the reopening of Betton Road (well, a segment) is over.
From Thomasville Road to Lee Avenue will reopen on February 22nd. We welcome the return of the Betton Road commuters. But this new street is not the old street: a number of safety improvements have been made.
We recognize these improvements may take some time to get used to. As a start, we’re having an “open road” party from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, February 20th. Come walk the opening street segment. See and hear about the improvements from city staff and Betton Hills Neighborhood Association volunteers.
(Project staff will lead a Q&A session at 1 p.m. Park near Winthrop Park . . . or just walk or bike.)
We hope you will see the new Betton as a guiding example of enhancing neighborhoods and improving road safety while meeting commuter needs.
Ask traditionally trained traffic engineers what makes a safe street and they’ll answer quickly: straight, wide travel lanes and a clear zone along the road’s edge. Ask anyone what makes drivers speed on city streets and you’ll get the same answers, plus some valid complaints about a lack of speed enforcement.
Traditional thinking is OK for highways, not for city streets with cross streets, driveways, bicyclists and walkers. The Betton Road improvements make the street safer for all users, especially during non-peak hours. (The high traffic volume of peak hours effectively reduces speeding.) The improvements do not decrease traffic flow or the speed limit.
Here are the main improvements:
Travel lane widths slimmed from 12 to 10 feet. Lane slimming discourages speeding. It also creates space to add a planting strip along the south side of Betton, providing a safety buffer for people using the sidewalk.
Crosswalks at Trescott and mid-block near Hickory allow safe crossings for walkers and bicyclists.
Three interspersed raised median islands in the middle lane. The islands discourage speeding in the travel lanes and passing in the middle lane, making it safer for drivers on Betton and those entering from side streets or driveways.
Removal of left turn at Mitchell onto Betton. The left was unsafe during peak hours as cars often became marooned across travel lanes, blocking traffic flow. An improved crosswalk makes crossing Mitchell safer for youth going to/from Winthrop Park and Betton residents walking or biking to/from Thomasville Road shops.
Extending the left turn lane on Betton at Thomasville Road. Lengthening the lane 80 feet accommodates more cars thereby keeping west-bound traffic flowing.
We thank the city’s Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure Engineering staff for working with the BHNA to improve Betton Road. This is a giant step for livability in a near town neighborhood. Betton Hills is experiencing a dramatic increase in young families and active older residents. These families enjoy walking, biking, baby-strolling, dog walking, running, and driving to our neighborhood parks, on our streets for exercise, and to local businesses.
They’ll be able to do so much more safely thanks to the city staff and the Talcon Group’s (the construction company) creativity and cooperation.
The remaining segment of the project, from Lee Avenue to Centerville Road will be completed in late spring.
Mike Brezin is the past president of the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association and a frequent driver, bicyclist, and runner along Betton Road.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Welcome to the new Betton Road, unlike the old Betton Road | Opinion
