by James Coulter
Diane is a resident who lives near Friedlander Road near Highland Park Manor. She has four grandchildren. Every afternoon, she worries for their safety when they and 40 other students get off the bus. Her concern, like that of many other residents, is with the traffic traveling during that time in that area.
Diane recently approached the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) during a public comments portion concerning the proposed installation of three-speed humps on Friedlander Road. She urged them to approve those traffic calming devices.
“We do need those speed bumps,” she said. “If you put those speed bumps there [on the road], that really, really help us slow that traffic down traffic and help those kids get back and forth [safely]. I sincerely thank you all for what you have done so far for us.”
Polk County Commissioners voted to approve two resolutions to install traffic calming devices on two roads: Eleventh Street Southeast near Highland City, and Friedlander Road near Highland Park Manor.
In both instances, a resident had approached the county requesting the installation of traffic calming devices. County staff then conducted studies on both roads and “determined that the roadway met the Policy criteria based on traffic speed and volume,” wrote Jay M. Jarvis, Roads & Drainage Division Director.
Staff had also distributed ballots to residents living near those roads inquiring about the proposed speed humps. In both cases, those proposals “received a favorable vote from the required percentage of that population.”
The speed humps for Eleventh Street Southeast will cost an estimated $20,000 for their installation, while the installation of speed humps at Friedlander Road is estimated to cost $15,000.
