JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a city with close to 828,000 people, the largest city in land mass in the country, you might think an engineer to track the traffic would be a necessity.
Think again.
"They haven't had a traffic engineer for about five years. It's been a while,” said City Councilman Jim Love.
That’s a big roadblock for folks like Bill Lewis who lives along Argyle Forest Boulevard.
"They have not made the speeds on Argyle Forest Boulevard uniform,” Lewis said.
On Argyle Forest Boulevard the speed goes from 35 mph to 40 mph and then to 45 mph in a fairly short stretch. Lewis tells Action News it’s been that way since back when the road used to be just two lanes. Now that it’s not, he believes the speed limit should be uniform at 45 mph, mainly to protect driver’s pocketbooks.
“Sometimes the police officers will sit out here and set up speed traps,” said Lewis, president of the Argyle Area Civic Council.
The problem – the city’s traffic engineer (that no longer exists) is who is responsible for implementing speed limit changes.
Love tells us the city has a contractor on call, but you have to convince the planning department the problem is worth the expense.
"Right now, a lot of constituents don't know where to send their complaints to. Do you think their concerns aren't being heard because of these budget cuts,” Action News asked.
“That's a good question. I think they're being heard, the question is is the money there to handle the concerns,” said Love.
Love spent Friday evening on Argyle Forest Boulevard mapping out the different speed limits. He tells Action News he’ll submit his findings to the planning department. He estimates it costs between $5,000-$15,000 to bring in a contractor to complete a traffic study
If you have a complaint, the city says the best way to get attention is to call (904)630-CITY.
