Is SoWal ready for a middle beach road?

I keep hearing a few people saying that 30a traffic is congested. What are you talking about? Four months a year it is as quiet as a Kansas country road. Four months a year you may see three or four cars traveling the same mile at once, and four months a year, (summer), it is no more congested then some residential streets in Ft Walton or Destin. The issue seems to be the bottle neck at Seaside. Isn't that a part of the charm of 30a? A little people watching, slowing the pace a bit? The traffic "problem" on 30a is Seaside. I am happy that I don't seem to have the time constraints others have. I enjoy slowing and enjoying the charm of the hub of this 20 mile stretch of road.

By the way. Thank you geo for reminding the locals that we have a taxi service here. Paradise Taxi is celebrating 5 years of buisness based on 30a. While we thank all the locals that support our activity. One observation is; locals don't ride taxis, tourist do. Even being in the tourist industry I would hate to think my tax dollars are paying for the several vehicles that would be required to opperate a regularly scheduled shuttle.

What about some neighborhood connector roads? Roads that utilize already established roads between neighborhoods. The intersection at 30A and 395 is critical. Lets say Hotel Veridian really takes off in the next 10 years. That intersection will certainly need some relief. Our seasons keep getting extended. When 30A is over crowded and backed up may increase. The numbers at South Walton schools keep increasing. That means there are full time families that are traveling these roads year round. Also, something like this could make it safer as the WaterColor Fire Station would have options for traveling to emergencies on east 30A. Something between Nature Walk's property (have no idea who has ownership or jurisdiction over roads) and some neighborhoods or condos along 30A. Just asking. Here's some pictures. San Juan for example, there may certainly be something else, connects virtually to the back road already in for Nature Walk. It is not "through" the forest. It is surrounded by development, banks, etc. There are two gates blocking use of these roads.

Gate blocking road off 395 just north of 30A and between bank and WaterColor Turtle Ridge and Publix. How far east does this road or existing right of way go? Who could or would have the authority to unlock the bike lock that keeps this gate and road closed?


Here's one place where a paved road already intersects the dirt road that was part of the Nature Walk complex. It is the paved San Juan Road off 30A. All that seperates the two roads is this locked gate.


Obviously old picture and sign as there is certainly no construction going on at Nature Walk. Are/Were these public roads? Were any deals cut for public right of way that might revert back to the public now that this development collapsed?


Picture showing where this "neighborhood" road connects to 395 in established development area.

Kurt, since you started this thread perhaps you need to open the discussion on where to put the asphalt plant to facilitate all the new roads

What about some neighborhood connector roads? Roads that utilize already established roads between neighborhoods. The intersection at 30A and 395 is critical. ... Something between Nature Walk's property ...and some neighborhoods or condos along 30A. ... It is not "through" the forest. It is surrounded by development, banks, etc. ...
Gate blocking road off 395 just north of 30A and between bank and WaterColor Turtle Ridge and Publix. ...
Here's one place where a paved road already intersects the dirt road that was part of the Nature Walk complex. It is the paved San Juan Road off 30A.
Picture showing where this "neighborhood" road connects to 395 in established development area.

Interesting ideas and pictures. Could you show these locations on a Google map such as this one, please? SanJuanN2-28-09.kml - Google Maps

this tread

Love this typo! Shall our treads be of footprints, sandals, bicycles, hiking boots, or truck tires?

I thought the whole idea of new urbanism was that we didn't need to drive anywhere. We could simply walk downstairs for breakfast and into our town center for work.

Interesting ideas and pictures. Could you show these locations on a Google map such as this one, please? SanJuanN2-28-09.kml - Google Maps

Using Google Maps is helpful in understanding area. Sorry editing Google Maps is not currently one of my skill sets. But, if you look at the Google Map you've inserted, you travel north off of 30A on San Juan and then take a left to 395. Hope this helps describe the location of the pictures.

Here's one place where a paved road already intersects the dirt road that was part of the Nature Walk complex. It is the paved San Juan Road off 30A. All that seperates the two roads is this locked gate.

It's been a long time ago now and I forget a lot of the details, but I do recall that when the Nature Walk land swap was under consideration residents of the San Juan neighborhood packed the BCC hearings and emphatically did not want through traffic in their neighborhood. They especially did not want the hordes of people expected to build in Nature Walk to use their neighborhood as their route to the beach.
As far as public safety and emergency vehicles go, the 30A right of way continues to have multiple obstructions. If I had nothing else to do, I'd drive around with a camera and post pictures of some of these obstructions and send them to code enforcement. Clearing the right of way would at least make it easier for traffic to pull off when an emergency vehicle is coming.
Bulldozing new roads through conservation areas is not the answer to changing what is in part the result of poor past planning.

We need to draw a line in the sand as others have thankfully done before us - DO NOT TOUCH OUR PUBLIC LANDS!!!

Since we started discussing this I keep looking at the roads to assess "traffic" and get more and more convinced that it's a peak issue, not a full time issue.

I thought the whole idea of new urbanism was that we didn't need to drive anywhere. We could simply walk downstairs for breakfast and into our town center for work.

Right?

The issue we are witnessing here in Walton County, due to current Land Development Codes, is that each new urbanist or walkable community has become an island unto itself. By adopting some elements of smart growth codes or transect planning, Walton County could start connecting some of these communities and easing traffic congestion naturally, the way it's been done repeatedly in other cities and towns.

Right?

The issue we are witnessing here in Walton County, due to current Land Development Codes, is that each new urbanist or walkable community has become an island unto itself. By adopting some elements of smart growth codes or transect planning, Walton County could start connecting some of these communities and easing traffic congestion naturally, the way it's been done repeatedly in other cities and towns.

Since the Scenic 30A corridor is squeezed into a band between gulf and state forest, can you give some examples of ways to connect the communities?

Since the Scenic 30A corridor is squeezed into a band between gulf and state forest, can you give some examples of ways to connect the communities?

Here I am heading over Eastern Lake on my way up to Tom Thumb to pick up some milk. Notice all the Sunday Floaters congesting the airways! ;-) Other than dirigibles or hot air balloons, a nice public trolley might help things out a bit....

I keep hearing a few people saying that 30a traffic is congested. What are you talking about? Four months a year it is as quiet as a Kansas country road. Four months a year you may see three or four cars traveling the same mile at once, and four months a year, (summer), it is no more congested then some residential streets in Ft Walton or Destin. The issue seems to be the bottle neck at Seaside. Isn't that a part of the charm of 30a? A little people watching, slowing the pace a bit? The traffic "problem" on 30a is Seaside. I am happy that I don't seem to have the time constraints others have. I enjoy slowing and enjoying the charm of the hub of this 20 mile stretch of road.

i couldn'g agree more . well put

Since the Scenic 30A corridor is squeezed into a band between gulf and state forest, can you give some examples of ways to connect the communities?

Actually connecting the communities to each other would be a start. :roll:

Instead of having gated or wanna-be gated communities with limited access points ......................or building walls between them to keep them from connecting.

Most of us have all the gate codes anyway, or know how to bypass them, so it's not really providing any real security.

Seems to work down south!

When I first rode a monorail at Disneland as a kid I thought that we would be seeing them everywhere in the "future". I don't know how come it didn't happen. Also, where's the jetpack I was promised?

There could be a neighborhood access road from 30A, turn right on Pelayo (currently a dirt road next to Beachwood Villas Condos/Apartments) then left to 395. Not through any state forest or public lands. (see google map on post 31) Would be curious if all the road right of ways already exist for this path. A fire, flood or bad accident near or at the 395/30 A intersection could shutdown traffic for hours or days. At least if this does happen and people needed to evacuate or emergency vehicles needed another way in and out, a few clips with a good wire cutter could open the roadway. Gate at San Juan and the construction road gate could be moved back a few yards to keeps out the throngs living in Nature Walk and still provide for locals or evacuees in need of an alternative route to school, work, hospital, etc. The construction road is separated from the Nature Walk development entrance by a WaterColor Development and Publix. Lots of points to debate here, just mentioning some options. The west end of 30A seems to have more access roads already in from 30A cutting up through land to 98. The east end appears in more immediate need.

Since the Scenic 30A corridor is squeezed into a band between gulf and state forest, can you give some examples of ways to connect the communities?

As Scooterbug 44 mentioned, connecting the communities together, where feasible, is a start. I know this goes against individuals ideas of private property rights, though it would go a long way toward easing some of the high season traffic concerns.

A few good existing examples are the connection between Seaside, Seagrove and 395; 395 into Watercolor, to 30A; or Bay Dr. to E. Pt. Washington Rd. to 395. Not everyone wants to drive a more leisurely pace through a development, though it does provide the opportunity to reduce traffic concentration at a single point and detour traffic in the event of an emergency.

There could be a neighborhood access road from 30A, turn right on Pelayo (currently a dirt road next to Beachwood Villas Condos/Apartments) then left to 395. Not through any state forest or public lands. (see google map on post 31)

Pelayo is not next to Beachwood Villas. Beachwood Villas is next to the Tom Thumb. I think you mean the horseshoe shaped condos, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Those condos are next to Pelayo. But I've stared at the map from post 31, and I still don't see any way to bypass 395 without going down San Juan. To extend Pelayo, you would have to cross significant wetlands as well as go through state forest. To extend any of those roads that go north from 30A, Robert Ellis, or Somerset Bridge or Pelayo, you are going to run into the same problems - wetlands and state forest, and lack of right of way. There is a wetland that runs east and west and runs all the way from about the Somerset Bridge area to the wetlands behind Canal St. It drains that whole area. Somewhere around Somerset Bridge instead of draining towards Western Lake, the drainage heads towards Eastern Lake. The wetlands are all part of the dune lake system for the Seaside-WaterColor-Seagrove-area. If you go a bit further west, to San Juan, I think you could connect up 30A to the backside of the Publix. Then you get the objections from the San Juan neighborhood.
I think there was a proposal years ago to pave and widen Grove. Same thing, objections from property owners who didn't buy into a throughfare. And of course, it would deadend on the west end somewhere around Tupelo St in Seaside, and that hasn't worked out too well. :roll:
I'm going to harp on the 30A right of way again. As stated in another post, the big bottleneck on 30A is Seaside. The other day I was driving through there, and the firetruck was idling on 30A. No red lights - I think they were maybe only changing out the beach flag or some other non-emergency. The truck had pulled over as far as it could, but it was still impeding traffic in the westbound lane, creating a one-lane situation. If those d$%^ posts Seaside put there had not been in the way, the truck would have had room to pull all the way off the drive lane.

As Scooterbug 44 mentioned, connecting the communities together, where feasible, is a start. I know this goes against individuals ideas of private property rights, though it would go a long way toward easing some of the high season traffic concerns.

A few good existing examples are the connection between Seaside, Seagrove and 395; 395 into Watercolor, to 30A; or Bay Dr. to E. Pt. Washington Rd. to 395. Not everyone wants to drive a more leisurely pace through a development, though it does provide the opportunity to reduce traffic concentration at a single point and detour traffic in the event of an emergency.

I thought all of these communities were already connected together. Its called scenic 30a. ;-)

I thought all of these communities were already connected together. Its called scenic 30a. ;-)

Yes, true. That is the bottleneck to traffic that we are talking about. I think you missed the point Chandra and others are making. To expand on ways to avoid 30A congestion:
1. From 30A, drive N into Seaside then turn E on a road through Seagrove that exits on 395. You have bypassed the 395/30A junction.
2. From 30A, drive N into WaterColor then turn E on Western Drive that eventually ends up near WaterColor crossing on 395. You have bypassed Seaside on 30A and the 395/30A junction.
3. I'm not familiar with the "Bay Dr. to E. Pt. Washington Rd. to 395". I'm not sure but I think there is a way to get from 30A through Rosemary Beach to Hwy 98.
I'd love to see a map highlighted with all the existing bypass routes and with dotted lines where removing barriers could improve the situation.