JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s been months since new traffic patterns, roundabouts, were installed on Edgewood Avenue in the Murray Hill neighborhood.
Since then, some people in the area have praised the changes while others wish more could be done.
News4JAX interviewed residents on Thursday to gather their thoughts on the recent changes and to find out what improvements they would like to see.
Some residents said that drivers are ignoring the stop sign at the roundabout and that the traffic pattern can be confusing.
Kristen Dureaux, who works on Edgewood Avenue, spoke to News4JAX about the ongoing issues.
“You’ve got it split with the train track and it’s not enough around,” Dureaux said. “It’s also a little short for the two lights it’s in between.”
Dureaux, a long-time worker in the area, knows that the roundabout was intended to alleviate congestion, but she believes it has had the opposite effect.
A user on social media echoed a similar feeling.
“If I wasn’t paying attention, I could’ve been stuck on the train tracks… this couldn’t be more of a joke."
Others said the roundabout has improved the problems this street once had. They feel getting rid of the light has helped increase safety for pedestrians and reduced congestion.
The addition of the roundabout, bike lanes, and signage upgrades was a nearly $8 million project by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
Dureaux said she hopes people will start to get used to all of the changes on this road eventually. But, the one thing she wants to see is more speed bumps placed in the area so less speeding happens.
News4JAX reached out to FDOT for comment on if more additions will be made to the street and if they have received comment from the community. Here’s what a spokesperson with FDOT told News4JAX.
“The feedback from the community has largely been positive, but I don’t have any specific records to share just anecdotal conversations I’ve had with people from the community.
There are no plans to install speed bumps along the Edgewood Ave. corridor. The lane repurposing project (reducing a lane on side of the street) has a traffic calming effect which naturally slows vehicles on the roadway."
Hampton Ray, Florida Department of Transportation