Neighbors along College Street in Jacksonville met Thursday night with City Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray and city traffic engineers to explore ways to reduce speeding.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After years of crashes and property damage, residents along College Street are urging Jacksonville officials to take action to slow traffic in their neighborhood.
During a community meeting Thursday night, residents told District 9 City Council member Tyrona Clark-Murray and city traffic engineers that speeding vehicles have struck mailboxes, trees and other property along College Street, Lenox and Ramona Boulevard.
Angela Worthy, who has lived on College Street with her husband, Jerry, for more than 30 years, said she has seen too many crashes to count.
“I cannot count how many accidents I’ve seen in 31 years. A lot of accidents,” Worthy said.
She also said speeding drivers have repeatedly damaged the couple’s property.
“Couldn’t even pull into my driveway,” Worthy said.
City staff outlined possible traffic-calming measures, including two speed humps and a reduction of the posted speed limit to 25 mph.
The two speed humps are estimated to cost about $4,124. One would be wider than the city’s standard design, adding approximately $390 to the total.
Two new signs marking the 25 mph speed limit would cost an estimated $280.
The city’s traffic-calming process requires approval from 75% of affected property owners. Owners have 60 days to respond, and a failure to respond is counted as approval.
Once the project is approved, the city would bill the applicant for the work. Installation generally takes four to six months after approval and payment.
Residents questioned why they should be responsible for helping fund a project designed to address a traffic-safety problem.
Clark-Murray said she intends to use available discretionary funds to pay for the speed humps if the proposal secures the required approval.
“This has been a long time coming and I thank God tonight that we’re here and this is finally coming to fruition,” Jerry Worthy said. He added that Clark-Murray’s pledge to help cover the cost was encouraging.
“We have increased traffic on College Street, so we want to make sure those who live there are still able to get in their driveway safely, walk along their neighborhood safely,” she said. “My job is to serve my district, and this part of serving them is listening to their concerns and acting on them.”
Residents also raised the idea of building a roundabout in the area. However, no funding has been set aside, and no roundabout project has been approved or finalized.
Clark-Murray is scheduled to hold another town hall on Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at Hyde Park Elementary School. The meeting will focus on Amendment 3 and the referendum concerning teacher pay. She also discussed the proposed measure with constituents during Thursday’s meeting.
