Draft maps to be available for review
The Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations of Sarasota (CCNA) is encouraging its members to attend one of three meetings this month that the City of Sarasota will host on traffic calming issues.
The sessions have been planned to enable the public “to learn about the work completed to evaluate speeding across the city and review the proposed traffic calming strategies designed to support speed reduction,” the CCNA has informed its members.
City staff is seeking comments on draft neighborhood traffic calming maps “to ensure they accurately reflect your community’s needs,” the CCNA advisory explains to members. “These draft maps identify streets experiencing speeding concerns and outline proposed solutions that, once implemented, will support lowering speeds toward a 20 mph environment on local roads,” the advisory adds.
Because the maps are working documents, the advisory points out, community comments are “essential and will directly inform updates.”
Residents are encouraged to attend the appropriate CCNA Area meeting, based on their location within the municipality; review the neighborhood’s draft map; and provide comments “verbally, in writing, or online,” the advisory says. “Multiple participation options are available to make your voice heard,” it notes.
The meetings have been scheduled as follows:
- Area A — March 24, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, which is located at 1845 John Rivers St. in Sarasota.
- Area B — March 18, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Senior Friendship Center, which stands at 1888 Brother Geenan Way in Sarasota.
- Area C — March 26, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Arlington Park basketball court, located at 2650 Waldemere St. in Sarasota.
The city webpages dedicated to the initiative explain, “Traffic calming is a set of roadway treatments engineers can take that alter driver behavior and reduce the negative impacts motorists can have on pedestrians and cyclists.” Traffic calming measures can help reduce speed and vehicle crashes, “and in turn, increase pedestrian and bicyclist usage,” the webpages add.
Among the measures are the following, the webpages note:
- Horizontal deflections (roundabouts, traffic circles).
- Vertical deflections (speed tables, raised intersections).
- Street width reduction (median islands, on-street parking).
- Routing restrictions (median barriers, splitters).
“Education and enforcement are also considered to be traffic calming measures but should be used in conjunction with physical measures when possible,” the webpages point out.
The webpages also provide details of the community survey that city staff conducted in regard to neighborhood traffic calming measures. That survey was available from February through May 2025, the webpages note. Of the 500 participants in that survey, the webpages point out, more than 400 identified themselves as city residents. The second-highest tally of respondents comprised property owners in the city.
The preferred mode of transportation for the vast majority of respondents is driving, a survey graph shows:
Two pie charts, below, show the respondents’ views regarding perceived residential speed and perceived residential safety:
The survey also found that 78% of the respondents indicated their support for the installation of traffic calming devices, The Sarasota News Leader learned from a review of the data.
For additional information, CCNA leaders recommend that residents visit the project webpage at www.SarasotaFL.gov/TrafficCalmingPlan. Anyone with questions is encouraged to email Corinne Arriaga, the city’s senior transportation planner, at Corinne.Arriaga@sarasotafl.gov.