‘We ought to evaluate with a full season of traffic, before proceeding.’

The prospect of any road design that could impede exiting the island is troubling.

Part of the contention, especially for Longboat Key residents, is the specter of a roundabout that is not only planned, but already funded.

Commissioner Daly was assured by the FDOT that the roundabout will outperform the triple left turn lane.

Longboat officials say they are supportive of enhancing pedestrian connectivity but not at the cost of increasing traffic.

Hines said that rather than spending $1.1 million he would prefer funding a trolley or build something tangible instead of hiring consultants.

Neighbors are concerned about traffic.

Sarasota City Commission puts brakes on City Manager Tom Barwin’s push for a pedestrian freindly Downtown as additional traffic lanes will soon be installed.

Longboat Key Mayor Terry Gans in a letter to Town Manager Dave Bullock said that he was “angry” because “any attempt to have serious discussions with the City of Sarasota toward addressing the entire situation is met with a stone wall.”

Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin says pedestrian activity “is skyrocketing”
in Sarasota and he expects pedestrian activity to double over the next 24 months.

‘A lot of us are nervous. We have not seen traffic of this magnitude through a roundabout and we would hate to be the guinea pig.’