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Bob Wells

Beach Fanatic
Jul 25, 2008
3,380
2,857
Best I can tell 395 will still be two lanes north of the connector connection to 395. Just more and more backups. Let's go with that reduced demand thing.
Unless you were born and raised here, which I am not, you are part of the problem with the current situation.
 

John G

Beach Fanatic
Jul 16, 2014
1,803
553
I bet the Native Americans would agree...

We should all just leave and go "home".
 

Bob Wells

Beach Fanatic
Jul 25, 2008
3,380
2,857
WOW...I have only been her for 23 years.
Same here. Hard for me to get upset by all that happens because of tourism and traffic and the like because I see myself as part of the reason it is like it is. That being said who am I to complain when someone sees what I saw 23 years ago and wants to move here or vacation here. Just saying.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,862
8,298
Eastern Lake
You are correct. All that talk about new roads will cause new demand is an argument of rather modest concern. The demand has always been there (with the same roads since 1969) and has always been increasing since I got here... and that was a long, long time ago.
 

outofadream

Beach Fanatic
Apr 1, 2008
312
85
We can all sit around and bemoan the fact that we allowed too much development for the available infrastructure along the 30-A corridor and that we are woefully behind on infrastructure. We can all bemoan the fact that politicians have far too often sold us down the river and if we are honest, bemoan the fact that those people are where they are/were because we put them there. We can do yet another study or we can advocate "solutions" that are not legal or possible like declaring a ban on new development.
Or.
We can get busy on working towards solutions, both short and long term.
1. Immediately install a traffic light at 30-A/395
2. Begin work on turn lanes at the same intersection.
3. Begin the permitting and engineering work on a connector road along the power line that is fenced and has adequate bridges over wetlands and animal crossings under the roadway.
4. Begin the permitting and engineering for turn lanes on all the north/south connector roads and the arteries that feed into them so that traffic flows better across the grid.
5. Where ROW permits, build turn lanes at all the major 30-A intersections and begin replacing 4-way stops along the roadway with traffic signals. Finish the above engineered projects.
6. Begin the planning and property acquisition for off-site parking and a mass transit solution throughout the 30-A grid for workers and visitors.
7. Fund these projects with traffic concurrency funds as much as possible and strictly enforce the LDC and comp plan regarding traffic capacity. Tighten the codes if needed.
8. Fully fund the South Walton TIF to provide a funding source for these projects.
This plan is not perfect but we cannot fail to act any further and these steps will help. Some will take years to come to fruition, but if we do not begin the process now, then 5-10 years from now we will have a dramatically worse situation and no hope in sight of addressing the issues. I wish things were perfect and in a perfect world we would not need to encroach one foot into the forest. But things are almost out of control and our people deserve to be able to move about and conduct their business without sitting in gridlock for hours every day. Not to mention that if you are the victim you want emergency vehicles to be able to get to you or your home in time.
Totally agree with you Danny...we need to act now with real solutions. The past is the past and what's done is done. Vision and foresight has not been an attribute on the part of the powers that be. Still studying and talking about this for years!!!
Goverons...There are worse things happening on 30A roads and the pedestrian/bike path than cutting a road through a state forest. Hey people If you have ever traveled to any of the hundreds of state forests in this country you reach it by a road that's been cut through.
 
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