Siesta Drive safety campaign asks for resident support

Part of the road is slated to be restriped, but Make Siesta Drive Safer has more plans in the works.

By Cassidy Alexander
| 1:17 p.m. January 9, 2018

Siesta Key
News

In an effort to get things moving, Make Siesta Drive Safer is looking for a big show of support from residents who are affected by traffic along State Road 758.

The organization formed in 2017 after several serious crashes on the road and has been working to implement a series of changes — particularly where Siesta Drive curves into Higel Avenue.

The above rendering courtesy of FDOT shows how the road will be restriped in the future.

“The more we can make it visible, and the more we can make it uncomfortable for the state to ignore it, the further we’re going to go,” said Make Siesta Drive Safer Co-Chairman Patrick Wulf in an address Jan. 4 to Siesta Key Association members.

A show of hands at the meeting indicated many support the work that’s been done and that’s on the horizon, most of which are minor changes to the road.

There’s a lot on the organization’s agenda. Notably, residents should soon notice that a speed indicator sign has been moved to a new location near the curve, and that the area has been restriped to encourage drivers to slow down.

An FDOT representative said these changes should be completed by the end of March.

What's been done and what's in the works

Reducing the speed limit

Although the group already persuaded the Florida Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit on the curve at Siesta and Higel, Make Siesta Drive Safer wants to reduce the speed limit between Osprey and Midnight Pass roads, and hopes to use the number of crashes in the area to prove it’s a good idea.

Improve conditions on the curve

Next, the group wanted to make the curve itself easier to negotiate. FDOT has already agreed to adjust the signage to better warn drivers of the curve. But it’s been a struggle to get the signs in the right places, Wulf said.

“Because of our landscape, we’re not making it easy,” he said.

The area around the curve will also be restriped.

“The more you can do to create what they call ‘friction’ among the corridor, the less people are going to speed,” Wulf said.

In the future, Make Siesta Drive Safer hopes that Kwik Kurb can be added to the area. Kwik Kurb is a temporary barrier between the sidewalk and the road that will make it harder for drivers to stray from their lane.

Adding crosswalks

Finally, the organization is hoping to add a series of crosswalks at Norsota Way, North Shell Road and Hamilton Drive. However, it’s waiting for a study to come out in March before taking action.

An August meeting about the initiative indicated residents are concerned about drunken drivers and the number of alcohol-related crashes along the road. But at this point, Wulf said, it’s important for Make Siesta Drive Safer to focus on concrete issues it can solve.

“We think it’s clearly an issue,” Wulf said. “But we’re a volunteer group, and trying to solve world peace and world hunger all at the same time just isn’t going to work.”

For now, the group is focusing on proving to the Florida Department of Transportation that residents in the area want these changes along the road. Make Siesta Drive Safer will continue making presentations to neighborhood associations in the area, and it is working to get the support of the county and city commissions.

Wulf asks that if individuals want to support the organization’s efforts, they like its Facebook page, and reach out to their commissioners to let them know.