Traffic alternatives debated

By DUANE MARSTELLER

dmarsteller@bradenton.com

BRADENTON --

A pedestrian bridge over Manatee Avenue West in front of the new county courthouse.

Converting Manatee and Sixth avenues west back to two-way streets, with bicycle lanes and wider sidewalks.

A trolley circulating between Bradenton and Palmetto.

Those are some possible things that could be done to make it easier for people to get into, out of and through both cities' downtowns, a group of area residents and officials said during a public workshop Thursday.

More than 50 people attended the workshop, part of an ongoing downtown mobility study by both cities.

The nine-month study will pinpoint transportation-related problems in the two cities, examine possible solutions and identify potential ways to pay for them, a consultant said.

"We're focusing the study on what can be done in the next five to 10 years," said Whit Blanton of Renaissance Planning Group, based in Orlando. "We're focusing primarily on short-term, low-cost projects that can be done without a lot of money."

Possibilities include adjusting traffic signal cycles; adding or widening sidewalks and bike lanes; extending streets; and installing roundabouts, he said. Roundabout locations under consideration include Manatee Avenue at 15th streets east and west.

But the study also might delve into some long-term prospects, such as a building a bridge between Ellenton and 26th Street East in Bradenton; creating a downtown Bradenton bypass, possibly along Ninth Avenue; and elevating a portion of First Street.

One concept that was universally panned at the workshop: Turning the DeSoto and Green bridges into one-way crossings.

Instead, participants talked of improving mass transit, making both downtowns more pedestrian-friendly and reducing traffic congestion.

John Lawler, a Bradenton software developer, liked the idea of a trolley circulating through both downtowns.

"People don't want to wait an hour for a bus," he said. "If you had something like the island trolley that comes around every 15, 20 minutes, they'll wait for it and use it."

Blanton said he will present that and other views expressed at the workshop to the study's steering committee next week. It then will give him direction on which options to examine further, with plans to present initial results for public review at a workshop tentatively planned for mid-July, he said.

Want to know more?

For more information on the Bradenton-Palmetto joint downtown mobility study, go to www.downtown mobility.com.

Duane Marsteller, transportation and growth/development reporter, can be reached at 745-7080, ext. 2630.