Scenic 30A and 395 Intersection in Seagrove Beach

[joho]

I have seen some good circles. They have to be big enough so that people can easily keep moving without fear of pulling out while still moving.

The county is considering buying the lots on the northeast corner of 30A and 393 for added Ed Walline access parking. They should go ahead and add a circle there if they get the lot.

hahahha

 

[Beach Runner]

Since it sounds like a done deal, can we have a naming contest? I'm throwing out the idea of the Ed Walborsky Liability Loop. What a dream for personal injury lawyers this wheel of paraplegia is going to be.

A lot of drivers at this intersection have been

So I think we should call it the Looped Loop.

If people are having trouble determining who has the right-of-way at the current intersection, can you imagine how confusing it will be for people who have never used a roundabout? We'll just need some big blue signs that say, "Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout." JK about the "big blue." Roundabouts are pretty confusing if you're not accustomed to them.

As far as the bike path goes, why not build a tunnel for it under the intersection like at Sandestin? I'm not serious. We need shuttles in the high season and forget spending the money for construction that is only necessary then.

 

[Jim Tucker]

After looking at the spot again I am thinking just not enough room for a proper circle. Like I said I've seen some that work very well but they are large, enough room for 4 or 5 cars in just one quarter of the circle. That keep things moving smoothly and prevents confusion. Gives plenty of room for people to yield without having to come to a complete stop. In addition there needs to be plenty of room to move the bike path either to the south or well away from the circle.
Seems like the aree is too small and that 18 wheelers won't be able to make it on a small circle.

 

[Kurt]

As reported on WZEP AM 1460:

As the Walton Commissioner meeting continued, Commissioner Cindy Meadows says a proposed roundabout for 395 and 30-A would take away parking spaces and reroute the bike path. She said a traffic signal would be a better option and cheaper than the round-about.

Meadows said a traffic light could be programmed different for seasonal loads. She told the other commissioners she lives there and has watched the traffic. Meadows said she feels the roundabout will fail and they will have egg on their faces. She also said there is opposition from residents.

Meadows also said the discussion has been ongoing and has not advanced and that there is still a right of way agreement needed. She also said the parking is needed. One question is whether turn lanes would be needed and if they would take away from the parking and bike path. After a discussion, the commissioners agreed to a public hearing on March 12th to take input and decide which way to go. If the funded round-about capital project is deleted it will have to be through a formal process.

 

[Jdarg]

Sounds like common sense is winning. Scrap that roundabout idea and let's get to a real solution for the traffic problem on 30A- a new road connecting 30A and 98.

 

[tsutcli]

I agree a roundabout is a bad idea given the restrictions on space available for a suitably large one to handle the volume of traffic - I've used many roundabouts on my way to the Jersey shore and work well for those who know how to use it-not something I would trust our tourists to have. Alas, I don't think a traffic light is a good idea either for the following reason - not much traffic on 30a heading east trying to turn north on 395 will be able to cross against the west bound traffic causing massive back-ups on 30a while South bound on 395 will be able to move smoothly east or west. Adding a left turn arrow for those folks wanting to go north will extend the time spent at the light and it would only take the first car wanting to continue east to close the arrow thing down. A long left turn lane would be needed - could the land be made available? IMO there is not a VIABLE OPTION FOR THIS INTERSECTION and should be left as a 3-way stop.
More North/South roads to 98 would be the answer but I think this was approached with state by St. Joe already to go through state forest land and was rejected. The environmentalists would organize against this.
Sorry to be so negative but in the name of doing something/anything the politicians will push this with the result that the law of unintended consequences will emerge (something gov't is exceptionaly good at producing).

 

[30A Skunkape]

I agree a roundabout is a bad idea given the restrictions on space available for a suitably large one to handle the volume of traffic - I've used many roundabouts on my way to the Jersey shore and work well for those who know how to use it-not something I would trust our tourists to have. Alas, I don't think a traffic light is a good idea either for the following reason - not much traffic on 30a heading east trying to turn north on 395 will be able to cross against the west bound traffic causing massive back-ups on 30a while South bound on 395 will be able to move smoothly east or west. Adding a left turn arrow for those folks wanting to go north will extend the time spent at the light and it would only take the first car wanting to continue east to close the arrow thing down. A long left turn lane would be needed - could the land be made available? IMO there is not a VIABLE OPTION FOR THIS INTERSECTION and should be left as a 3-way stop.
More North/South roads to 98 would be the answer but I think this was approached with state by St. Joe already to go through state forest land and was rejected. The environmentalists would organize against this.
Sorry to be so negative but in the name of doing something/anything the politicians will push this with the result that the law of unintended consequences will emerge (something gov't is exceptionaly good at producing).

Agree with your thoughts. I can't think of anything that will be constructed or a machine that will be set up at that intersection that will smoothly solve the problem. Short of alternate routesbeing constructed to augment those that already exist, that intersection is just going to be a bugger during tourist season.

If I could wave a magic wand I would propose that a human being be deployed to manage traffic there between 5:00 and 7:00 every evening between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Tsutcli is correct, the real issue there is the gridlock of westbound cars. I say put a deputy or trained TDC staff member out there to wave the eastern and westbound traffic through at that time, hold the bike path users at the intersection, then wave them through after the southbound 395 cars turn east or west. That way, cars flow and nobody gets run over crossing on foot or bike. The only fly in the ointment I see here is the eastbound cars that want to turn north on 395. This might sound hardcore to accept, but maybe there should be a prohibition of northbound turning from eastbound 30-A to 395 between the peak flow hours I describe above.

I can't think of a much cheaper or practical solution. And if the scheme turned out to be a disaster, the cost of 'fixing it' would be zero dollars.

 

[Lake View Too]

Very good logic in all the above posts. I think leaving the intersection as is, with no timed traffic light, will work, along with a somewhat "on call" trained traffic cop to lend some logical assistance, at the peak hours. I can't imagine waiting for a traffic light to turn, when there's nobody else there!​ That would bug me to death.

 

[lenzoe]

So what happened to the money the BCC approved last year for doing the roundabout design? Was the project canceled? It sounded like a done deal at the time.

 

[Veronica99]

I agree that something as simple as a person directing traffic during certain peak hours would help a ton... Saturday mornings before noon in the high season is a rough time when everybody checks out of their rentals and hits the road at the same time. Coin tosses and other fund raisers should be prohibited during that time at that intersection also.