Well, good work all around. The downtown community expressed their priority for traffic enforcement downtown...the police department management brought some additional resources on-line and has begun rebuilding the traffic unit...officers are out in the field doing the job...and city staff is working on some plans for Main/Broadway.
Every time we've been downtown in the last couple of weeks, we've seen Kissimmee police officers with speed guns at the side of the road, or patrolling the immediate downtown area in unmarked cars, making traffic stops. And we understand that the city has short-, medium-, and long-term plans/proposals for influencing how drivers use Main/Broadway.
Yet there are still a few voices out there that seemingly will not be satisfied until there are police officers on both sides of the street, all day, every day, writing nothing but traffic tickets...oh, and renaming the unit to the "Downtown Traffic Unit" in the process. It's just not practical, even if the City Commission were to put in place a "Traffic Management Fee" (and NO, commissioners, we didn't just suggest that... slowly move your hands away from the "Aye" button).
Even in the "good old days" of the Traffic Unit, the officers worked an area for a couple of days, then moved on to the next trouble area. The idea that a specialty unit is going to stay in one place all the time is folly. That's why it's important that we address the larger issue, which is coming up with an acceptable plan to make Main/Broadway less of a thoroughfare. That larger design plan, which will be years in the making, needs the continued positive energy from the entire downtown community.
So, yes, traffic enforcement is needed downtown. But those in other parts of the city ask that, as the Traffic Unit gets back up to strength, our downtown neighbors "share the wealth," as there are many other places in the city that will also benefit from their efforts.
5 comments:
I am not sure if this is a "share the wealth" issue as you call it. Isn't the issue why does a group or neighborhood have to scream to get action or results from the city. After hearing the case made by the police chief, it is pretty easy to see that the Police Department is working their tails off to keep this city from going off of the deep end. It also seems that someone at the government level was not paying attention to the problems at the Police Department. The only mention of more police I have seen from the folks downtown has been very positive. They had a nice young man at one of the commission meetings that thanked the commission, and he seemed happy with the results of the Police Department and the City. Maybe you know more of the story than what you have put in your article?
I hate to post to this article, but I just wanted to comment on your current picture. That is one of the cutest things I have seen. It is sad that when my husband and I first moved here, we used to see cattle all of the time. Now all we see are flashing lights and construction trucks over at the Loop. Maybe I will order one of these outfits for my cat so I can remember what Osceola used to look like.
Orange Gardens seems to have a solid police presence. Maybe the areas where multiple commissioners and former commissioners live should "share the wealth" with the rest of the community.
perhaps if broadway, both sides, wer one way and church st, both sides, were one way? not complicated and it would releave congestion. ya think?
All of the neighborhoods in the city need to be properly protected from by the police and fire departments. An area like the downtown needs special assistance because it is a business district that affects the whole community. thousands of people work in the downtown everyday which generates more traffic and more problems. This is why they need some extra help. As far as the other areas of town that are not getting the help they need, we should be asking our city government why they are not hiring more police officers and fire personnel. A hiring freeze on these departments is just stupid, and everyone needs to remember the commissioners that voted to compromise our public safety.
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