The Bridgeport Avenue street issue continues
The Bridgeport Avenue traffic issue was brought up at the Village Council meeting last Thursday.
Jim McMaster, resident of Bridgeport Avenue, says ballots were sent out, they are not all in yet. But it looks like the vote will fail -- meaning that votes are coming in mostly against the barricades on Bridgeport Avenue. The folks on 30th Court and Virginia Street are voting mostly against it because they don't want the traffic diverted to their streets. And since they can't get traffic closures or traffic calming devices, they don't want Bridgeport to have it.
Residents say that isn't so. They just want it all uniform. They say it makes no sense to send traffic from a street that has some commercial property (Bridgeport) to streets that are all residential.
Joe Benton (right) from Bridgeport Avenue also explained to the Council
about all the tractor trailers that drive up and down Bridgeport -- speeding, hitting things, knocking down gates and so on. They want the street closed, blocked or something done. "Bridgeport is dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt," he said. He felt that one planter in one spot would solve the issue.
Chelsea Wilkerson from Bridgeport said it's a nightmare trying to navigate the street by foot. Truck speed is the main issue. All they want is a partial street closure which would buffer the residential part of the street, the rest of the street is commercial. The majority of the trucks are not servicing the Home Depot or any businesses in that area, they are just cutting through to avoid traffic and traffic lights on 32nd Avenue and 27th Avenue.
Michelle Niemeyer, Village Council chair, feels that something needs to be done, but all the Bridgeport buffer will do is shift traffic somewhere else, probably sending it to 30th Court and Virginia Street, which is just moving the problem a street or two over. It isn't solving the problem, except for Bridgeport.
One Virginia Street resident said that "creative stop signs" may solve the issue, they did that on Virginia and Tigertail. The round abouts don't work. Stop signs will work. It's a simple thing that the county will do if you ask them, but you need to persist.
Martin Zilber, Village Council member and the new Council chair starting in January, said they should get the neighbors together, talk and come up with a solution. Felice Dubin, Council member, says she will step in to help and an ad hoc committee will be formed which will include Felice, police and neighbors. Felice, police, say that three times fast.
Jim McMaster, resident of Bridgeport Avenue, says ballots were sent out, they are not all in yet. But it looks like the vote will fail -- meaning that votes are coming in mostly against the barricades on Bridgeport Avenue. The folks on 30th Court and Virginia Street are voting mostly against it because they don't want the traffic diverted to their streets. And since they can't get traffic closures or traffic calming devices, they don't want Bridgeport to have it.
Residents say that isn't so. They just want it all uniform. They say it makes no sense to send traffic from a street that has some commercial property (Bridgeport) to streets that are all residential.
Joe Benton (right) from Bridgeport Avenue also explained to the Council
about all the tractor trailers that drive up and down Bridgeport -- speeding, hitting things, knocking down gates and so on. They want the street closed, blocked or something done. "Bridgeport is dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt," he said. He felt that one planter in one spot would solve the issue.Chelsea Wilkerson from Bridgeport said it's a nightmare trying to navigate the street by foot. Truck speed is the main issue. All they want is a partial street closure which would buffer the residential part of the street, the rest of the street is commercial. The majority of the trucks are not servicing the Home Depot or any businesses in that area, they are just cutting through to avoid traffic and traffic lights on 32nd Avenue and 27th Avenue.
Michelle Niemeyer, Village Council chair, feels that something needs to be done, but all the Bridgeport buffer will do is shift traffic somewhere else, probably sending it to 30th Court and Virginia Street, which is just moving the problem a street or two over. It isn't solving the problem, except for Bridgeport.
One Virginia Street resident said that "creative stop signs" may solve the issue, they did that on Virginia and Tigertail. The round abouts don't work. Stop signs will work. It's a simple thing that the county will do if you ask them, but you need to persist.
Martin Zilber, Village Council member and the new Council chair starting in January, said they should get the neighbors together, talk and come up with a solution. Felice Dubin, Council member, says she will step in to help and an ad hoc committee will be formed which will include Felice, police and neighbors. Felice, police, say that three times fast.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:00 AM
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6 Comments:
What we need is better police enforcement on the NO THRU TRUCKS signs in Center Grove. They are totally ignored by trucks going in and out of the Village. That's what they ought to be ticketing -not people doing businss in the Village.
I agree with Anon, they need a no through trucks sign in a lot of the Grove and then actual enforcement of the law.
Stop Signs do not work. I live on Coconut Av and walk my dogs every day down to Virginia. A few years ago, stop signs were placed on Viginia (from US 1 to Bird) as well as on Coconut Av (27th Av to Virginia) and Trade Av (27th to Virginia). Very few people ever stop at these signs, including a residents. There have been a number of times that either my wife, myself and my dogs have almost gotten run over by people not stopping and speeding down the street. Coconut and Trade get a lot of traffic cutting over from 27th to Virginia to avoid the traffic light on Bird and 27th. The only thing I can think of that would work are speed humps. That is the only way people are going to slow down. I do not know if this is an option, but stop signs are no good and I do not believe traffic calms circles will do much.
Correction: Jim McMasters is not from Bridgeport and was instrumental to undoing the over 2 years work the Bridgeport residents started.
Not only is McMasters not on Bridgeport but he has lead a misinformed campaign to undo efforts by Bridgeport residents to block any relief of serious safety concerns that are now guaranteed to persist on Bridgeport. Bridgeport residents started to try to resolve problems of speeding and truck traffic at the end of 2004 with Commisioner Winton.
This street only runs for 100 yards in the center grove between Bird and US1 and cars have been witnessed exceeding 50 MPH. The city commission and county public works departments have put in countless hours, many evening meetings, over time and researched many different proposals. Commisioner Sarnoff's office had worked with the residents for over 2 years before it was resolved that a partial closure was the appropriate measure and that the Bridgeport partial closure would expedite a similar closure on 30th Ct. to stem any possible spill over traffic as the residents on 30th ct. have similar safety concerns.
McMasters has now postponed the inevitable and created animosity between neighbors by lying to village council members and neighbors. Not only was this never a covert city initiative but one of the few examples of the city commission working with the residents to address serious safety concerns initiated by residents. He not only delayed our hopes for relief but he may well see lingering animosity for his anti-community efforts. He should not have gloated in front of the council meeting and his winking and smiling to his friends on the council shows that he is not a man to be trusted unless you are on his side of his ignorant agenda.
Does everyone know that when you Mapquest directions in or out of the Grove, more often than not, the directions guide you through Bridgeport? I live across from Bridgeport and whenever I Mapquest out of the Grove, it ALWAYS says to turn on to Bridgeport, then make a right onto US1. Maybe changing the computerized maping systems might reduce some of the traffic.
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