These days, it seems almost everyone who lives or works in Palm Beach is up in arms about traffic congestion.
Many wonder why the town isn’t doing more to improve driving conditions on the island.
Town officials insist they are doing all they can but say traffic congestion is a regional problem and the town’s authority is limited.
Town Manager Kirk Blouin and staff members report on the traffic-calming initiatives at monthly Town Council meetings. But many residents are unable to attend those meetings and aren’t fully aware of what is being done or the challenges facing the town.
In response, the Palm Beach Civic Association and the town are jointly hosting a traffic forum where residents can have their suggestions heard and their questions answered by local officials. The forum, entitled “Moving Forward: Traffic Solutions 33480,” will be held on Tuesday, February 18, from 10 a.m. until noon at Town Hall.
Those who are not able to attend in person can visit the town’s public meeting webpage and select the live event hyperlink to listen to and watch the forum.
Michael Pucillo, the Civic Association’s chairman and chief executive, will moderate the forum and pose questions, submitted in writing by members of the audience, to a panel of town officials. The panelists will be Public Works Director Paul Brazil, Police Chief Nicholas Caristo, Zoning Director Wayne Bergman, Town Attorney Joanne O’Connor and Blouin, according to the town.
Pucillo said the forum offers a way for citizens to learn what the town is doing about the traffic problem and to suggest ideas to alleviate it.
“It’s also an opportunity for residents to know things we can do, such as to stop ‘blocking the box’ at intersections, and try to keep our movement after 3 p.m. at a minimum,” Pucillo said.
The more visible actions taken by the town include posting police officers at busy intersections during peak travel periods and allowing landscapers onto the island before the morning rush hour.
The town is looking for more solutions, but Blouin said there are often legal obstacles.
For example, many residents are frustrated with the frequency of drawbridge openings to allow barges to pass through the Intracoastal Waterway. But the town has no control over the drawbridge openings, which fall under the authority of the U.S. Coast Guard. The town has suggested ways to reduce the number of barge trips and bridge openings to the coast guard and barge contractor, but with little success, Blouin said.
“We are trying to look at every angle to reduce those openings,” he said. “There are some challenges that are beyond our control, but we don’t give up.”
Blouin said town staff members care about the traffic problem and are focused on finding solutions. But he said there’s no “magic bullet.”
“It boils down to volume and limited capacity,” he said. “We have more volume, but no way to expand the roads. It has affected all of us.”
The Civic Association’s Transportation Committee, chaired by Llwyd Ecclestone, and Public Safety Committee, chaired by David Duffy, have expressed their support for the forum.
“It’s a very important issue and everyone is talking about it,” Pucillo said. “Maybe there will be some good ideas that will come from this.”
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