Speeding cars race side-by-side, slam into parked cars, repeatedly take down street light poles and have killed several dogs in one Avalon Park neighborhood.
Many residents feel that if something isn’t done, it could be a child who’s struck next.
Their solution: installing speed humps on Mailer Boulevard, a well-traveled thoroughfare in Avalon Park. Residents were very close to getting approval for them on Tuesday, March 8, but Orange County commissioners postponed their vote until April 19.
“All of our neighbors came to Avalon Park to live, work and play, but we feel restricted from that,” said Sheri Claudio, who lives along Mailer.
After putting that matter to vote among the 52 homeowners in the affected area, 32 residents responded with 22 in favor and 10 against. But after one homeowner showed the county that the ballot, which was send out in October, did not contain pertinent information, the county agreed to recast the ballots, which will be sent out in early April along with a notice for the April 5 community meeting on the subject. If the speed humps are approved, each homeowner will pay a one-time $103 assessment, which could change depending on what the Commission votes for.
Marlene Spiegel, who lives in a town home along Mailer, said that a month after the ballot was sent out, the county approved plans for four-way stop signs at the intersection of Cleary Way and Mailer Boulevard, which would solve the speeding issue on that portion of the road. The stops signs were installed in February. Now the ballot will be for three speed humps from Salinger Road to Atwood Drive, instead of four, and town home residents will not be charged the assessment.
“I just want the right information out there,” Spiegel said. “But we’re not involved now. If they want their speed bumps, give it to them.”
Ross Halle, vice president of architecture and planning for Avalon Park, said that because all of the streets of Avalon Park interconnect, all Avalon residents should have had a vote on changes made to the roadways — or at least those living in the south end of the development.
“The county said they didn’t ask all of those people because the people who are not affected will say no. But that’s a democracy. If you skew the vote to ensure you get a particular outcome, it doesn’t end up working,” Halle said. “You can’t make everyone happy, but here you’re going to make a lot of people unhappy because you asked a very small minority.”
For almost three years, Orange County has been working with homeowners on the speeding problem on Mailer Boulevard and on Lake Live Oak Drive, which was approved for four speed humps on March 8. Two years ago the county narrowed the problem area of Mailer, which was from Cleary Way to Atwood Drive, with parking stalls on both sides, hoping that would slow drivers down but Orange County Public Works Frank Yokiel said it didn’t work.
In fact, it wasn’t long after the county made those improvements that Eric Morales’ police car was nearly totaled after someone hit it. Further investigation found the driver, who left the scene of the crash but was later tracked down, was traveling at 50 mph and would have barreled into Morales’ home if his car hadn’t been there.
“People walk their dogs, bike with their kids, jog and cross the street to get their mail and these cars are moving at 60 mph,” said Jennifer Miller, who helped create the I Drive 25 campaign, which encourages Avalon Park residents to acknowledge the speed limits of the community.
Miller lives along Lake Live Oak Drive where of the 26 residents who responded to the ballot from the county about the speed humps, 18 were in favor and eight were not. Each of the 32 affected homeowners will pay a $145 one-time assessment effective Nov. 1. The speed humps will be installed this summer.
Ongoing maintenance
With the three potential speed humps on Mailer may come three “calming islands”, which will further slow traffic. The county plans to plant a tree surrounded by mulch on each island.
Maintenance of these islands, which Yokiel said will be minimal, would fall into the hands of the Avalon Park Property Owners Association, which was not notified about these projects. After receiving many calls from people upset about being stuck with maintenance fees, Yokiel said the county may ax the islands from the plans.
“That’s one of the things we’re going to talk about at the [community] meeting,” he said.
Halle argued that small roundabouts would cost about the same as speed humps, be more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing.
“Speed bumps are usually found in a suburban environment; roundabouts are usually found in pedestrian-friendly, urban environments like Avalon Park,” he said. “We’ve gone through a lot of effort to make pedestrian-friendly streets in an aesthetically pleasing environment and speed bumps are not part of that.”
More speed humps on the horizon?
More residents living along Mailer Boulevard are petitioning their neighbors to get speed humps closer to the school where people also chronically speed. In fact, county records show that drivers average higher speeds at the Mailer Boulevard and Avalon Middle School intersection.
To get speed humps, residents must approach the county, two-thirds of the people living along the street have to sign a petition for the devices, and a traffic study done by the county must find that less than 3,000 cars travel the road daily and 85 percent of the time cars are traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph.
“Why aren’t we talking about putting something closer to the school? There’s a constant pedestrian stream to the (South Village) community center and the middle school,” Spiegel said. “We’re not addressing the real problem.”
Orange County will hold a community meeting about the Mailer Boulevard speed humps at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5 at Avalon Elementary.
Speed hump breakdown:
Mailer Boulevard:
What residents are voting on: Three speed humps and three calming islands
Where: Between Cleary Way and Atwood Drive
Total lots affected: 52 lots
Number of homeowners who responded to the ballot: 32
In favor: 22
Against: 10
Fee each homeowner could be charged: $103 (subject to change pending county vote)
Date they would be billed: Nov. 1
Total cost of the speed humps and islands: $25,120; County would pay $20,060 and residents would pay $5,060 (subject to change pending county vote)
County vote: April 19
Community meeting: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5
Lake Live Oak Drive:
What residents voted on: Four speed humps
Where: Between East Avalon Park Boulevard and Cassia Drive
Total lots affected: 36 lots
Number of homeowners who responded to the ballot: 26
In favor: 18
Against: 8
Fee each homeowner will be charged: $145
Date they will be billed: Nov. 1
Total cost of the speed humps: $10,000 with Orange County and the property owners splitting the cost.