SEBASTIAN — US 1 in Sebastian cuts through the city’s nationally recognized historic district, its downtown, and its redevelopment area. And many drivers who are just passing through on their way north to Brevard County or south to Vero Beach have no idea.
That’s why the Sebastian City Council is again trying to get the 40 mph speed limit on the highway lowered to 35 mph – at most.
“We have failed,” Councilwoman Andrea Coy said of past efforts to get the Florida Department of Transportation to lower the speed. FDOT is the agency responsible for US 1 and is the sole agency that can modify speed limits.
Coy raised a new tactic in which the city could explore to appeal to the transportation department – remind the officials that their road goes through the historic district, is a recognized scenic byway, and is critical to the economic vitality of the area.
“If we have people blasting through at 55 mph when they’re supposed to be going 40” there’s an issue, Coy said.
Fellow council members echoed the concern of speed limit enforcement. City Manager Al Minner said speeding remains an issue throughout the city.
The city is now also armed with a resolution of support from the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce, which will be passed along to FDOT.
Theresa Tholle, vice president of the Chamber, told the council that their board reaffirmed its resolution, which had been passed a few years ago.
The resolution reads in part that the reduction in speed “would enhance the safety of drivers, pedestrians, tourists, visitors and residents, and property in the area; and encourage economic growth in the city.”
US 1 business owner Lisanne Robinson, who has been a tireless advocate for lowering the speed, told the council that 80 percent of her customers are day-trippers, those who travel from outside the area and mostly don’t know the area very well. Having a slower speed on US 1 would help businesses with visibility.
“We need to get people in our stores,” Robinson said.
Joanne White, a member of the city’s Recreation Advisory Committee, spoke as a resident, telling the council that she and others who ride bicycles through town dread crossing US 1.
“We’re taking our lives” in own hands, she said. “It’s very scary for us.”
White added that the length of time for the crosswalks isn’t long enough for people to easily get across without feeling like they have to run.
“We feel like we have an expressway” going through town, White said.
The Sebastian City Council directed City Manager Al Minner to craft a draft resolution of support for lowering the speed limit and have it come back for vote. The resolution is expected to return to council at the next meeting, May 22.
The resolution, if passed, would be sent on to the Indian River County Metropolitan Planning Organization – which assesses transportation issues – in hopes of getting the MPO’s blessing. If the MPO were to agree with Sebastian’s assessment of US 1, the organization would then be asked to get county engineers to weigh in. With that complete, the effort would then be sent to the FDOT for review and consideration.
