Comments for “Provide Your Comments!”
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Opposed to this project...road diet come on when the population continues to go up. This is a main artery to our hospitals and evacuation route !
Say no to this ridiculous
thought !Liked 1 time -
MAppreciate the opportunity to be able to express some my feelings & questions, concerning the dieting of So. Dixie Hwy. that is being proposed , I just have a few points to address & sincerely hope I can get answers too them :
1. As I looked at the evacuation routes that were shown on TV over this past weekend from the hurricane/Texas area , I saw extremely clogged roadways/highways of which traffic was bumper to bumper in gridlock. I believe So. Dixie Hwy. being a major thoroughfare is a highway used for major commuting, with trucks etc. & we will now have multiple train crossings to contend with as well. My question is do you have a viable solution for vastly condensing So. Dixie Hwy. from its already existing conjestible highway status, especially during any emergency evacuation route situation? As people trying to get out of the eastern coastal areas & from areas to the north & south , they could then only affectively use the 2 lane roadway of So. Olive Ave. , for as all of us who have lived in the immediate area for countless years know well , as does the City of WPB that So. Flagler Dr. & adjoining Washington Rd. flood after just minimal rain events, thats just a fact, just ask anyone around there, they can tell you, so those 2 lanes going north & south would early on become impassible for traffic. I love beautification & such of a highway but I think when you know people are trying to escape to intersections that lead to I-95 or the Turnpike you need to have as much in travel lanes as is possible especially when they already see conjestiion at rush hour, & peak periods, especially bleeding into Okeechobee Blvd. & Belvedere Rd. , Southern Blvd., & Forest Hill Blvd. from So. Dixie, which is the main north/south highway, or are you just hoping to push all the excess traffic onto So. Olive Ave, & Flagler/Washington Rd. which are mainly residential areas in the corridor?
2. I am wondering with all of the new restaurants & offices moving onto So. Dixie, the Norton Museum vastly expanding, the proposed development for the old Sears acreage with a developer wishing to build 5 buildings of high-rises of apartments over 160' each building , plus retail, & The Sun Bank vacating near So. Dixie, the Carefree Theatre/Condo project at Flamingo & Dixie being proposed, the PBPost is being presently looked at , as it is also for sale & a huge site, & the Rich's Ice Cream Parcel at some point going on the market , aren't these places going to realistically be bringing in literally thousands of vehicles which will bottleneck, & cause untold traffic congestion, gridlock, if the traffic cannot easily flow, coming & going & we want to diet So. Dixie ? I am hoping someone can answer my question so I can understand any common sense explanation, I assume you are just hoping everone will just cut through the long standing historic neighborhoods which will now develop & have a real draw back for selling prices in our coastal historic neighborhoods & their real estate values, which have only helped with rising county/city taxes etc., & have been a big plus. We actually have 5 passive Parks & Greenspaces that children/pets frequent daily & we cannot help wonder about their then safety, & the elderly walking dogs, as more & more cut through traffic will obviously ocurr, people impatiently trying to avoid the narrowing of the So. Dixie conjestion, & vehicles will continuously parade & come racing through the residential neighborhoods, to me it is indeed an accident waiting to happen & something I just was hoping not to ever see happen. I am not against constructive progress, if you wish to call it that , but I see no real viable solutions set up for the repercussions that I think will naturally evolve, with all of the development coming to So. Dixie & the size of the parcels that are hitting the market to become developed there, do you honestly think all of these people are going to ride bikes , in suits to their offices, Publix for groceries or older folks commute to their condo's in 93 degree temperatures, I really do not see it in the extreme spring & summer temperatures & rain even into fall that we get here in sunny south Florida.
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Appreciate the opportunity to be able to express some my feelings & questions, concerning the dieting of So. Dixie Hwy. that is being proposed , I just have a few points to address & sincerely hope I can get answers too them :
1. As I looked at the evacuation routes that were shown on TV over this past weekend from the hurricane/Texas area , I saw extremely clogged roadways/highways of which traffic was bumper to bumper in gridlock. I believe So. Dixie Hwy. being a major thoroughfare is a highway used for major commuting, with trucks etc. & we will now have multiple train crossings to contend with as well. My question is do you have a viable solution for vastly condensing So. Dixie Hwy. from its already existing conjestible highway status, especially during any emergency evacuation route situation? As people trying to get out of the eastern coastal areas & from areas to the north & south , they could then only affectively use the 2 lane roadway of So. Olive Ave. , for as all of us who have lived in the immediate area for countless years know well , as does the City of WPB that So. Flagler Dr. & adjoining Washington Rd. flood after just minimal rain events, thats just a fact, just ask anyone around there, they can tell you, so those 2 lanes going north & south would early on become impassible for traffic. I love beautification & such of a highway but I think when you know people are trying to escape to intersections that lead to I-95 or the Turnpike you need to have as much in travel lanes as is possible especially when they already see conjestiion at rush hour, & peak periods, especially bleeding into Okeechobee Blvd. & Belvedere Rd. , Southern Blvd., & Forest Hill Blvd. from So. Dixie, which is the main north/south highway, or are you just hoping to push all the excess traffic onto So. Olive Ave, & Flagler/Washington Rd. which are mainly residential areas in the corridor?
2. I am wondering with all of the new restaurants & offices moving onto So. Dixie, the Norton Museum vastly expanding, the proposed development for the old Sears acreage with a developer wishing to build 5 buildings of high-rises of apartments over 160' each building , plus retail, & The Sun Bank vacating near So. Dixie, the Carefree Theatre/Condo project at Flamingo & Dixie being proposed, the PBPost is being presently looked at , as it is also for sale & a huge site, & the Rich's Ice Cream Parcel at some point going on the market , aren't these places going to realistically be bringing in literally thousands of vehicles which will bottleneck, & cause untold traffic congestion, gridlock, if the traffic cannot easily flow, coming & going & we want to diet So. Dixie ? I am hoping someone can answer my question so I can understand any common sense explanation, I assume you are just hoping everone will just cut through the long standing historic neighborhoods which will now develop & have a real draw back for selling prices in our coastal historic neighborhoods & their real estate values, which have only helped with rising county/city taxes etc., & have been a big plus. We actually have 5 passive Parks & Greenspaces that children/pets frequent daily & we cannot help wonder about their then safety, & the elderly walking dogs, as more & more cut through traffic will obviously ocurr, people impatiently trying to avoid the narrowing of the So. Dixie conjestion, & vehicles will continuously parade & come racing through the residential neighborhoods, to me it is indeed an accident waiting to happen & something I just was hoping not to ever see happen. I am not against constructive progress, if you wish to call it that , but I see no real viable solutions set up for the repercussions that I think will naturally evolve, with all of the development coming to So. Dixie & the size of the parcels that are hitting the market to become developed there, do you honestly think all of these people are going to ride bikes , in suits to their offices, Publix for groceries or older folks commute to their condo's in 93 degree temperatures, I really do not see it in the extreme spring & summer temperatures & rain even into fall that we get here in sunny south Florida.
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It is very important that a stoplight is installed at the intersection of Palm Street and Dixie Highway. I work on Palm Street and this is a dangerous intersection to cross on foot and while driving.
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The proposed plan for the stretch from Okeechobee Blvd. to Albemarle Road, as presented, included statements on multiple occasions that "some" traffic will filter onto Flagler Drive and Olive Avenue. No specific information has been provided to give any indication of what "some" traffic means. Currently there is a significant amount of traffic using both Flagler and Olive now to presumable avoid backups at Dixie and Belvedere and Southern Blvd as drivers seek to reach I-95. Traffic currently cuts through historic districts, bisected by Olive Avenue along the whole stretch on the East side of South Dixie. All streets in the El Cid Neighborhood have traffic calming installed because of the speed and volume of cut through traffic. These traffic calmed streets had to meet the requirements of the City in order to qualify and was done for a stated purpose. That stands out as a specific reason to examine impact! Have these traffic calming measures solved the problem? No. Have they made a dent? Speed reduction may be the only thing accomplished. That could be checked though!
The East side of Dixie is more directly impacted that the west due to the close proximity to Olive and Flagler, as both streets are uninterrupted connectors from Okeechobee to the City Limits, and provide direct east west access to Belvedere and Southern I-95 interchanges. Commuters use both Olive and Flagler to avoid traffic on South Dixie until getting to the connecting roads to I-95.
Rather than representing "some" traffic "may" filter to surrounding streets, it is necessary to study the impact and provide quantifiable data of same.
Everyone would like to see traffic on South Dixie slowed, and no matter what is devised, the elephant in the room is that the City of West Palm Beach is not willing to do any traffic/speed enforcement. It has often been stated that a road diet will slow down the traffic, but without enforcement, this is a false narrative. Olive Avenue is a good example of this. A narrow two lane street has speed tables north of Belvedere due to the problems documented with excessive speed. Further north on Olive the College has even suggested, at one point, closing Olive through their campus because of similar problems. South Flagler from Barcelona to Washington Road is another example of a two lane road that has excessive speed problems as well. One of the few times traffic was enforced by a Police Officer on South Flagler in this section with the exception of occasional enforcement in the school zone, an officer stated that he had written one ticket after another and was shocked at the speed on the stretch.
Further, everyone would like to see beautification and a more walkable South Dixie. No other options seem to be given consideration other than choking down the road to two lanes, which is, potentially a huge problem as it relates to neighborhood impact.
Also, given that the US 1 corridor is a heavily supported bus corridor, it is critical that the access remain. This actually becomes a social justice issue for low and moderate income earners west of Dixie who are public transportation dependent. It was stated by a member of the study team in one of the meetings that the transit authority does not like bus pull offs due to the fact that drivers will not let the back in traffic. With only 2 travel lanes available, when the bus stops, traffic stops. Currently, with 4 travel lanes, when the bus stops, cars behind it cannot get over into another travel lane due to volume. This may drive even more traffic to Olive and Flagler.
Finally, extending the road diet to Albemarle mid stretch between Belvedere and Southern creates a potential nightmare for traffic when the road suddenly narrows from 4 lanes to 2. Where does traffic go to avoid such a sudden mid road tie up? Into the surrounding neighborhoods to seek an alternate route. it seems to be "common sense" but is not addressed.
The issue of protection of historic neighborhoods on the East side of South Dixie, some of the highest appreciating tax revenue generating properties in the city, is an issue that has been brought up numerous times throughout the development of this proposal. It needs to be addressed and has not been.
Bike lanes on South Dixie are opposed by those who feel that it will not be safe due to traffic volumes and that adequate safe biking opportunities are provided on South Olive and South Flagler. IF more traffic is pushed on to these two lane roads, biking may not be too safe there either, as conditions likely change.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. It is not for the more technically challenged amongst us, however. Its cool, groovy, etc, but not truly easily navigated by the general population. To truly reach everyone and openly solicit input, the process should be as simple as possible. Further, the email listed on the site has an error and emails directed to Kittleson are being returned to people due to a spelling error in the email address.
I would hope that as this proposal moves forward to FDOT (given that we have been told that the City and MPO have already approved the plan), there will be a genuine effort to evaluate all concerns and impacts. Many people supporting the current not residents who will see the greatest impact on their quality of life and property values.
Please look at many options to accomplish the worthy objectives of slowing traffic and providing a welcoming environment on South Dixie. Some have commented about how attractive the work in Riviera Beach is and how it effectively slows traffic and provides safe harbor for pedestrians crossing the road without shrinking the road. Was this or other scenarios ever considered?
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This foolish concept willbackfire very soon if implemented. Fraught with terrible consequences, a true disaster if allowed. Already clogged especially with delivery trucks that often have to double park to off load. City did it to Olive Ave already and with calming islands at intersections, my firm has had to turn away business to residential customers due to inability to make turns onto side streets. Idea is poorly thought out and catastrophic in scope.
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it is a really dangerous intersection. Opposed to road diet. For all of Dixie highway. wpb is growing and our streets are shrinking
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The changes approved by the WPB CIty Commission are not putting the citizens of WPB first. Reducing the traffic from 4 lanes to 2 is a recipe for gridlock. The reasons why this is a horrible idea are as follows.
1. Traffic on the downtown to Ablemarle corridor is already heavy.
2. The congestion on Okeechobee currently leads many people to use Belvedere to US1 as an alternate route to get downtown. Where is this traffic going to go?
3. The Okeechobee congestion currently means that at least two days a week, the eastbound traffic on Okeechobee backs up onto the I95 exits. I can't tell you how many accidents I've seen at this exit because of the backups to getting through Okeechobee.
4. The future high rise towers at the Christ Scientist church location and the chapel by the lake location, in addition to more development happening right now is going to put even more stress on these streets. Where to the City Commissioners think this additional traffic is going to go?
In closing, this idea is a bad one for the citizens of WPB. Please don't allow our City to allow this development for the sake of creating a "cute" street. US1/Dixie Hwy is not the place for this type of lane reduction. The residential neighborhoods on Parker/Olive/Flagler will by the ones suffering for this misguided effort.Liked 0 times -
I work on Palm Street and I have to cross Dixie Highway regularly during business hours. It is nearly impossible to cross this road safely or pull out while driving. A stop light would be really helpful!
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This is crazy to think of going from 4 travel lanes plus a turn lane, 5 total lanes to 3 lanes to the north of the light at Albemarle Rd. A road diet to the north but to remain the same 4 lanes to the south of the light. Impossible for the north bound two lanes to merge at the Albemarle light to one lane. What happens from the two lanes or south bound merging from one to two lanes depending which direction will go from two to one lane. Plus there where does the very much needed bus stop in the middle of the road stopping the flow of traffic totally to pick up passengers N or S of the light.
Never mind that population is continuing to go up ! There is a preposed development at the Albemarle light with 5 buildings @ 12 story each. Plus two blocks to the north the Post building is for sale and the ice cream plant will most likely want to redevelopment into residential as well ! What then think of the major travel ingress and express to the three huge swaths of land. This is just insane to think to narrow any of the main arteries in WPB when one thinks of safety for evacuation, emergency vehicles and forcing traffic on to small history national/locally registered neighborhood streets. There is no gain here at all only loss ! The need for Beautification should not morph into a road diet that is WRONG for so very many reasons. Dixie Highway/US 1 is a main thoroughfare/arterie that is meant to keep traffic moving, it is not a scenic country road after all it goes from Maine to Key West. Don't put WPB's Dixie Highway, and it only main artery to its hospitals and evacuation route in jeopardy !!
No road diet period, it is just plain and simply not appropriate !!Liked 2 times -
This has to be a two lane road going North and South. Anything less will stall traffic for miles. The school here is adding grades. The Carefree site on Eat needs to conform to current height law. No special treatment
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Dangerous corner. If the driver is turning left and cars are piling up before the light on Okeechobee, it becomes a blind left turn. I think this is how a lot of the accidents happen.
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Please do not put a bike path on Dixie. Dixie is the only North/South road in this area for transportation other than I95. A bike path would slow traffic down causing even more congestion. Also, the road is too dangerous and busy for the bikers. Olive Ave. is a safer road for bikers to use.
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As Dixie is a "hwy" I do not see why we need to add a bike trail. I feel we need to keep this road for drivers that are trying to commute to and from work. With the reality of speedy drivers coming in and out of many side streets, I think adding a bike lane is a dangerous idea.
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Please add a stop light at this location. Walking across the street is extremely dangerous as cars speed down dixie hwy without watching for pedestrians.
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I have been working at the intersection of Palm and Dixie since October and in just under a year have been witness to multiple car crashes. it is incredibly difficult to make a left on Dixie during all hours of the day, and impossible during rush hour. I occasionally have to cross the street and it not pedestrian friendly at all, with cars racing up and down the street. A stop light would ensure pedestrians can safely cross the increasingly urban Dixie Hwy, slow traffic down from the straight run they have from Flamingo - north and Okeechobee - south, and direct traffic out of the Norton's main parking area off Palm Street.
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Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts. I work on Palm St. and daily use the S Dixie/Palm Street "T" Intersection. It is dangerous to cross the street as the traffic is constantly flowing. I believe by adding a crosswalk and widening the sidewalk pedestrians would feel safer and accommodated.
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I work on Palm Street and find it challenging to safely make a left turn onto Dixie from Palm Street. A stop light would help with this matter and with crossing the street by foot or bicycle. A crosswalk is a necessity. Additionally, a bike lane would take away vital space that is needed for easy access parking.
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A stoplight and crosswalk at the Dixie Hwy and Palm St intersection would benefit the entire neighborhood greatly. Not only is turning either left or right from Palm to Dixie extremely hazardous, but walking across Dixie at this location is also unsafe and daunting. A stoplight installed here would work to the advantage of the residents of the Grandview heights neighborhood, those who live and work on Palm Street, and citizens who utilize the public busses heading either north or south. There are many people who need to cross this busy street at all times of the day. A stoplight and crosswalk at this location would reduce the number of vehicular and pedestrian accidents as well as make it easier for many to cross the street. In addition, a bike lane on Dixie would simply increase the amount of traffic and make it harder for everyone in this area every day.
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I typically drive through and work on Palm Street. I believe that adding a bike lane is a dangerous idea. The traffic is already congested in this area, so much so that one cannot cross the street safely. A bike lane will add more traffic and severely endanger local drivers, bikers and pedestrians. There is already a bike lane on Olive and South Flagler, so another one on Dixie seems excessive. It would be better to have more sidewalks and parking on Dixie, which would increase foot traffic for the local shops and establishments.
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Something must be done to make this corner safe, as most are unaware of how dangerous it is to turn on to Pembroke Pl. from Southbound US 1. and almost just as dangerous to turn left onto US 1 from Pembroke. The School of Nursing for PBAU has it's classrooms and offices right at the corner. When there is a crash, we all hear it, I am the first one to call authorities. It is so disrupting and anxiety filled. These crashes don't have to happen reasonable helps put in place. I have worked here 7 years and have seen the same type of accident occur over and over. Please help make people safe.
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We are in need of a stop light and cross walk on the corner of Palm Street and Dixie Highway. It is impossible to walk across Dixie or make turns out of the neighborhood. I live in Grandview and this would be a very practical addition to the area.
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It is very challenging to pull out and make a left onto Dixie. I feel that a stop light on the intersection of Dixie highway and Palm Street would benefit many people including residents of Grandview heights.
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Stoplight at intersection of dixie and palm street
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Dixie is very busy and drivers tend to go over the limit, making it dangerous for the several pedestrians crossing the street. A traffic light and pedestrian crosswalk at Dixie and Palm St. would be a huge help.
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