Residents happy city sees the light

The city of Sarasota will most likely keep a traffic light at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Gulfview Drive after Hudson Bayou and Gulfview residents expressed their displeasure with the possibility the light might be removed.

At a Sept. 26 meeting at City Hall, city planner Alex Davis-Shaw reported that the city was evaluating traffic lights within city limits and considering removing those that aren’t mandated through a traffic-control program.

If city residents agreed the light was not needed, which would save the city money, a three-way stop sign could be installed in its place.

But Hudson Bayou and Gulfview residents made numerous claims as to why they believed the light should stay in place.

In an email to Hudson Bayou residents sent Sept. 26, Hudson Bayou President Rob Patten wrote that the Gulfview traffic signal crosswalk is the only safe (and legal) place to cross Orange Avenue between Hillview Street and Mound Street.

“Removing the signal and forcing people to cross at Mound is unsafe because the east sidewalk on the Hudson Bayou Bridge is very narrow,” Patten wrote. “We are a pedestrian- and bike-oriented neighborhood.”

Due to the speed of the traffic on Orange Avenue, Patten said families and children must stay on the sidewalk. There are no bike lanes over the Hudson Bayou bridge.

“Crossing at Gulfview makes sense for anyone crossing Orange Avenue so that they gain access to the much wider west sidewalk on the bridge,” Patten wrote.

Patten also explained that Orange Avenue between Mound Street and Bahia Vista is a popular cut-through from Osprey Avenue and U.S. 41.

“If we are forcing our kids to cross Orange randomly without a crosswalk, what are we teaching them about traffic safety in general?” Patten wrote.

City staff decided the traffic light should remain in place.

“Based on the overwhelming support of that particular traffic signal, we have recommended to the city manager’s office that the light stay in place,” Davis-Shaw said. “The concerns expressed were valid ones that we took under consideration before making our decision.”

Patten told the Sarasota Observer that he was happy to hear the news.

“The city was receptive to our safety concerns all along,” Patten said. “It’s the right decision.”