Mayor proposes new direction for traffic mess

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Significantly changing direction on the long-time quest to alleviate traffic congestion and parking shortages in Key West, Mayor Teri Johnston is proposing a new remedy: keep cars out of the city.

Johnston directed city Manager Jim Scholl to begin the planning process to create an intermodal transportation center on the site of the city’s existing municipal bus parking lot on College Road on Stock Island. The idea would be to build a multi-story parking garage on the site and operate a shuttle bus service into the city. While the cost of the proposed transportation center is unknown at this point – nor if there would be any charge to drivers using the parking-shuttle service – Johnston said visitors would be enticed by the ease of an air-conditioned bus dropping them off at various locations in town.

“You stop there [Stock Island transportation center]. And we will get you into town on a regular basis,” Johnston said. “You would make it desirable because there is not going to be parking in Key West.”

Johnston was referring to a recent transit plan study that showed the number of visitors to Key West has almost tripled in past eight years, from 381,900 in 2008 to 1,114,300 in 2016, the last year visitor data is available. The previous city administration looked at building additional parking garages in Old Town to accommodate the influx of visitors. But those plans generally went nowhere as vacant land was difficult to find and residents also rose up to complain about a parking structure in their neighborhood.

Johnston said creating additional parking is “counterproductive” to the more recently accepted goal of reducing vehicle traffic and encouraging visitors and locals alike to bike and walk more.

“Unless we stop the increase in traffic and fighting for a parking spot, we’re never going to achieve our expected outcomes,” she said, citing her campaign promises of improving the quality of life for Key West residents and creating safer modes of intercity transportation.

Funding for the purchase of 14-passenger shuttle buses might be available from the state Department of Transportation, which already reimburses the city for the full-sized buses it operates. Seven shuttle buses can be purchased roughly for the same price as one full-size bus, Johnston said, and shuttle drivers are not required to obtain a commercial drivers license, as full-size bus drivers must. One of the difficulties the city has had in increasing the number of city bus routes recently, including the free Duval Loop, has been finding adequately-licensed and trained drivers.

“Our objective is not to take anybody’s car away,” Johnston said. “Our objective is to encourage people not to use their cars if they don’t want to.”

Johnston also wants to tackle traffic gridlock in the city, which contributes to congested streets. She directed Scholl to create a street grid in both Old Town and Midtown that makes some two-way streets into one-way roads. There are currently dozens of narrow two-way streets in Key West with no sidewalks and parking on both sides that force cars to pull over to let an oncoming vehicle pass.

“That cannot be efficient,” Johnston said. “I think traffic will move much more freely through the city if you get rid of those bottlenecks. And it will be safer.”

Johnston is proposing the city’s engineering department hire a traffic consultant to identify the problematic streets and propose new traffic patterns.

“They are really eager to get started on this,” she said about city traffic department staff.

Another piece in tackling traffic problems fell into place at the March 5 city commission meeting. Commissioners unanimously passed a Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan that has been in the works for the past year. The master plan outlines a coordinated short- and long-term process to make it easier to bike and walk in Key West.  Alison Higgins, the city’s Sustainability Coordinator, will oversee the plan’s implantation. It is expected to take up to 10 years to fully roll out the master plan because of funding requirements ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.

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