Oldsmar officials told a group of concerned citizens on Monday that the data collected from a recent traffic study doesn’t support the installation of speed humps on Peppertree Drive.
When a group of concerned Oldsmar residents asked the City Council to install speed humps on Peppertree Drive a few months ago, officials agreed to conduct a traffic study to collect the necessary data.
On Monday night the results of the study were revealed, and the findings were not in favor of the residents’ request.
Interim public works director Frank Edmunds broke the news to a crowd of roughly two-dozen at TECO Hall, stating that after conducting a weeklong study in conjunction with directed police patrols earlier this year, the resulting data did not support the installation of speed humps on Peppertree.
“There’s an 85 percentile requirement that must be met, meaning 15 percent must travel over that speed limit in order to document that there’s a traffic speeding problem,” Edmunds said, noting the posted speed limit on is 25 miles per hour, 15 mph through the dangerous curve on the street.
“In this particular case, the traffic data does not show that it met that criteria. That’s a statement of fact. The majority of those traveling on Peppertree Drive are either at or below the posted speed limit.”
Edmunds said the results of the directed patrols revealed no significant speeding problem, either.
“In addition to that, 19 directed patrols there were very very few violations observed an issued,” he said.
“Most of the travelers—most, not all—most were traveling something considerably less than the posted speed.”
(Note: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Captain Jack Peterson said there were actually 29 directed patrols conducted, and he confirmed the deputies did not discover a speeding problem during that time.)
Edmunds said based on the results of the study, he could not recommended the installation of speed humps, but he said other traffic calming measures, such as flashing yellow lights and speed indicator signs, could be utilized in the area.
“There could be other traffic calming measures the council could consider,” he said.
After releasing the results of the study, Edmunds opened the floor to the residents, and they didn’t hesitate to lob some questions, including:
- The downside of speed humps (they hamper the accessibility of emergency vehicles)
- If the flashing lights are a cheaper option than the speed humps (no)
- Did the tightness of the curve factor in? (no, in fact curves are often installed to deter speeding, according to Edmunds)
- Can the speed limit be lowered? (no, state law dictates 25 miles per hour is the minimum posted speed limit for any Florida community)
- Is there a difference between speed humps and speed bumps? (yes, humps are gradually raised areas made of concrete or rubber spanning the width of a road, while bumps are an abrupt raised area typically used in parking lots and driveways)
Sprinkled among the questions was some pointed commentary by longtime Peppertree resident Carolyn Albertson, who moved to the area in 1985 and has since witnessed the destruction of six of her mailboxes as well as the hit-and-run death of a young girl near the curve roughly a decade ago.
“The last ten years have just been awful,” she said, noting the street has been used as a cut-through to avoid traffic lights on Tampa Road ever since a new subdivision was built nearby. “I worry about the kids at the new bus stop on Peppertree.”
“Somebody’s gonna get hit and somebody’s gonna get hurt. You can replace a mailbox, but you can’t replace a child.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, Edmunds reminded everyone that his recommendation was not the final say in the matter; that is expected to come when the item goes before the City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Afterwards Dan Saracki, the lone council member in attendance who also happens to live near the area in question, spoke about the subject.
“I really want to take a look at all the reports first before I make my decision,” Saracki said.
“I’ve meet with the neighbors about their views, and I’m trying to educate myself on the issue. But I live there so I know what goes on.”
Meanwhile, longtime speed hump proponent Shannon Karczewski said she and her husband, Brad, and hopefully the rest of their neighbors will turn out for the meeting on the 20th to help the council see their side of the issue and follow up on what was said in the past.
“We’ll be there and hopefully they stick to what they said, that if the citizens really want them, why not give it to them,” she said, referring to a comment Vice Mayor Eric Seidel made during the June 7 council meeting.
“If we have the same turnout, maybe we can convince them that we don’t just want these speed humps on Peppertree, we need them in our neighborhood.”
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