Segment stretches from Wood Street to Lime Avenue
The City of Sarasota is seeking public comments on Phase 1 of its Shade Avenue Complete Street Project, which will stretch from Wood Street to Lime Avenue, city staff has announced.
The city website explains that the intent of the full project is “to construct a ‘complete street’ on Shade Avenue from City limits (Hibiscus Street) to 15th Street. A complete street is an Age-Friendly design that promotes safe travel to and from destinations, whether walking, biking, riding transit, or driving a vehicle. Each complete street is unique to the community and can include different features like enhanced sidewalks, street lighting, street trees and landscaping, public art, and more. Please take this opportunity to share your ideas that will help transform Shade Avenue.”
A city newsletter points out, “When our transportation planning team conducted initial community outreach about the project last year,” the members “heard a consistent theme in the Alta Vista and Gardens of Ringling Park neighborhoods”: The Shade Avenue/Novus Street intersection needs improvement. “With that mind, the small traffic circle may be removed [emphasis in the newsletter].”
“The question then becomes: What’s the preferred option to improve the intersection?”
Three options are under consideration, the newsletter continues: Add raised crosswalks, add traffic separators or add both raised crosswalks and traffic separators.
Raised crosswalks, a city document explains, “are ramped speed tables spanning the entire width of the roadway. Raised crosswalks reduce vehicle speeds and enhance the pedestrian crossing environment. Novus Street would have Stop signs on both approaches. The intersection would have a multi-use path, high-emphasis crosswalks, and ramps at all 4 approaches.”
Members of the public are being asked to share their thoughts by taking “a brief online survey.” It includes artist renderings that depict the options.
The estimate for completing the survey is 2 to 5 minutes, the newsletter notes. “The survey will remain open through Monday, Jan. 22,” the newsletter points out.
The survey asks whether the person taking it resides on or near Shade Avenue; works at a business on or near Shade; regularly travels on Shade Avenue “for social or recreational purposes”; works at or has a child attending one of the schools located along Shade; owns property in the area; or has another interest in the proposal.
