Resident complaints spark emphasis on speeding

On May 6, bayfront resident Carole Kleinberg sent an email to Sarasota Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch complaining about the volume and speed of motorcycle traffic over the John Ringling Causeway.

“Some nights it sounds as if I’m living next to the Indianapolis Speedway, as they accelerate and then speed across the bridge,” Kleinberg said. “It looks to me as if 60 mph is on the slow side. Frequently, they seem to [be] going 80 to 90 mph on the bridge.”

On May 7, another bayfront resident wrote an email raising similar concerns.

“There are many times each day and, particularly, night when it sounds like a jet plane is taking off in our living room,” Sandy Tessler wrote. “The most common auditory assaults occur after midnight. These startle us awake and continue for hours.”

On May 8, Orange Avenue residents Jeansie and Ned Bunnell wrote an email to city officials complaining about speeding in the McClellan Park, Harbor Acres and Hudson Bayou neighborhoods.

“Traffic-calming measures put into place years ago are not effective,” the Bunnells wrote. “Many drivers of cars, SUVs and trucks just sail right over the humps, while others straddle the hump with the right-side tires driving in the bike lane.”

The decrease in vehicular activity associated with COVID-19 shutdowns has inspired an increase in speeding-related complaints from Sarasota residents. The Sarasota Police Department said it’s aware of the public’s concerns and is working to address any issues through a campaign of enforcement and education.

SPD Capt. Demetri Konstantopoulos said officers have issued more than 1,600 tickets and written warnings related to speeding over the past two months. Although a high volume of complaints to city officials have come from residents near the Ringling bridge, Konstantopoulos said SPD has heard concerns from throughout Sarasota since the pandemic first closed businesses.

The police department has a dedicated traffic unit that it leans on to identify areas where increased speeding patrols are necessary. But Konstantopoulos said police also take resident complaints seriously and that public input helps guide the department’s decision-making when it comes to speeding enforcement.

“When we receive multiple complaints with the same issue in a certain geographic area, it helps us to confirm there’s definitely a problem that we need to address,” Konstantopoulos said.

Although the police department said it has responded to the concerns it is hearing from residents, complaints from individuals living on the bayfront continue to come in. On May 28, resident Linda Kalka shared a video her husband took of a car loudly revving its engine, which she said her husband had followed to St. Armands Circle from downtown. On June 1, resident Sharon Saatsoglou said in an email that noise from speeding traffic prevents her from using her terrace and entertaining guests.

SPD officials have responded by communicating their efforts to address speeding issues. On May 15, Sgt. Anthony Frangioni said the traffic unit had developed an operation plan specifically for speeding and racing on the bridge and issued 30 tickets in the previous two weekends. On June 1, Deputy Chief Pat Robinson said both traffic and patrol units were focused on speeding issues in the area near the bridge.

Konstantopoulos said the department’s approach to speed enforcement doesn’t just entail writing tickets, though. He said communicating with those who are violating speed limits is often an effective means of addressing issues, and he said the department is conscientious about the cost associated with a parking ticket during a time of economic uncertainty.

“The last thing we really want to do is hit people with fines, so we have tried to give a lot of warnings and educate people on bringing their speed down,” Konstantopoulos said. “I think it’s been effective.”