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The speed bump is gone, but safety questions remain

INDIALANTIC, Fla. – A problematic speed bump in Indialantic has been ground flat after quickly gaining a reputation for sending drivers airborne.

The resurfaced section of Fifth Avenue was brought to our attention Friday morning by News 6 viewer Misti Schneider.

This comes just two days after we reported on a council meeting where some said the raised crosswalk was causing their vehicles to bottom out and scrape the ground. The bump had only been in place for about a week.

“Within a day, there was already gauges in the road from people bottoming out,” driver Paul Johnson said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the Florida Department of Transportation said nothing would change for at least a week.

“I watched a couple cars almost go airborne,” driver Dan Barile said at the meeting Wednesday, expressing hopes that the bump would soon be gone or at least redesigned.

“I don’t think the people were prepared for the change,” Barile said. “That’s an issue that they should have had some forethought.”

Earlier that day, the new crosswalk signs were uncovered finally giving drivers a warning to slow down.

Among the options being considered at the time, Indialantic Mayor Mark McDermott said that the total removal we now see was one of them.

“Maybe remove it completely. Maybe shave it down,” McDermott said, claiming the council did not request a speed bump or a raised crosswalk for people walking to the town hall and adding the Florida Department of Transportation’s original description of the project allowed drivers to pass through without slowing down.

However, with one less crosswalk in Indialantic, questions remain over what’s now being done to improve safety in the area.

“I didn’t understand why we needed one,” Jim Hays said.

The driver said crosswalks on Fifth Avenue should be at intersections, not across the middle of the road.

McDermott on Friday said he was happy FDOT removed the speed bump so quickly.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” the mayor said. “I was hoping it would be that fast and we got lucky.”

FDOT said the crosswalk was supposed to make walking across Fifth Avenue safer, but now, the state is also canceling plans for four more crosswalks on the main road.

“We got what we wanted, and FDOT is going to go back and look at some other options and we’ll go on from there,” McDermott said.

“Amazing the government worked so fast in response to results they got,” Johnson said.

News 6 is working to learn more. This is a developing story and will be updated.

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INDIALANTIC, Fla. — Some drivers say a speed bump installed for pedestrian safety on a Brevard County beachside road is causing their vehicles to bottom out.

What You Need To Know

It’s right along Fifth Avenue, also known as State Road 192, right in front of the Indialantic Town Hall.

Part of a planned Florida Department of Transportation project, the roadway is being resurfaced and new speed bumps are being installed for pedestrian safety.

But as Spectrum News saw Tuesday, some cars going the 35 mph speed limit met the pavement hard.

Officials say around 19,000 cars and trucks pass through the half-mile stretch of roadway that leads to State Road A1 daily.

People in the area say the sounds of cars bottoming out started on Nov. 3 when the new roadway feature was installed. It is one of four speed humps planned for the project to help reduce drivers' speed.

Signs warning of the new speed hump have not been unveiled yet.

Less than a week since it was installed, dozens of deep scrapes can be seen on the speed hump's pavement.

"Wow, I would not want to be coming down this street and have something like that happen and go out of control," says Curtis Byrd, who said he rides his bike down Fifth Avenue all the time, as he saw cars bottoming out on the speed hump.

After seeing it, he said he's concerned the new installation might actually make pedestrian safety worse.

"Like most speed bumps, you don't see much of a bottoming out afterwards, but this is a problem," he said.

As Spectrum News spoke with Indialantic Mayor Mark McDermott, another car hopped the bump and scraped the roadway.

McDermott said he's addressing all the concerned emails he has received from residents.

"They are concerned with how slow you have to go," he said.

He said for now, crews will grind down the speed hump and then a decision will be made about its future.

"That's the proper thing to do to make sure it's safe for drivers and pedestrians," Byrd said.

Part of the resurfacing project also involves lowering the speed limit from 35 to 30 mph.

FDOT representatives will be discussing the issue with the Indialantic Town Council at its Wednesday meeting.

A backyard "man cave" near Indialantic has neighbors up in arms.

The man cave at the heart of the dispute isn't just a spare room decked out with flat-screen TVS and sports memorabilia. Rather it is shipping containers stacked up on each other in the home's backyard and visible throughout the neighborhood.

Construction has been halted for now following neighbors complaints.

“I don’t think the code intended for people to dump tractor trailers in their backyards,” said next-door neighbor Michelle Snyder. “If they change the code for him this could potentially be in everyone’s backyard because they are cheap. It’s an eyesore.”

More:She sheds: The counterpoint to the man cave

The "man cave," as the owner described the structure in permitting documents, is on Diane Circle in an unincorporated enclave between Indian Harbour Beach and Indialantic.

According to Brevard County code, a new cargo shipping container may be used as residential storage, but stacking of containers is not permitted. However, the homeowner started submitting paperwork to the county last October and the permits were approved by planning and zoning officials. Construction began in September and that’s when neighbors took notice.

The neighborhood does not have a homeowners’ association, so the owner did not need approval from the neighborhood. According to permitting plans, the new addition, labeled as “Traska Man Cave” has roughly 670-square-feet of living space, two balconies and a spiral staircase.

No one answered the door when FLORIDA TODAY went to the residence and a telephone call went unanswered.

“My biggest concern right now is that Brevard County is going to save a buck by changing the code to allow this,” Snyder said. “This is a single-family residential neighborhood. (The man cave) doesn’t meet the code for Brevard County.”

Construction was halted on the structure after neighbors called attention to it.

“We have spoken with the homeowner, who has expressed a willingness to work with us on a workable solution,” said Don Walker, communications director for Brevard County.

A meeting was scheduled for Oct. 26 with the homeowner and planning and zoning county officials.

Indialantic speed bump frustrates drivers

A new speed bump is catching drivers off guard, sending some cars into the air and scraping several bumpers on a highly traveled beach road. A new elevated crosswalk is now partially opened on 5th Avenue right by the Indialantic Town Hall. With part of the crosswalk still under construction, warning signs are still covered up which is frustrating drivers because there are no signs letting people know about the new bump.

INDIALANTIC, Fla. - A new speed bump is catching drivers off guard, sending some cars into the air and scraping several bumpers on a highly traveled beach road.

A new elevated crosswalk is now partially opened on 5th Avenue right by the Indialantic Town Hall. With part of the crosswalk still under construction, warning signs are still covered up which is frustrating drivers because there are no signs letting people know about the new bump.

The new traffic feature opened last week, and the new pavement already has damage from cars flying over it and scraping the road.

"There’s going to be a lot of alignment problems with the cars, making it very dangerous," said Curtis Byrd who noticed cars having issues on Tuesday. He usually bikes along the busy roadway.

FOX 35 cameras captured half a dozen doozies in about a half hour at the site on Tuesday.

"All of a sudden, my car went up in the air and came back down, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’" added David Agee who was caught off guard by the new bump.

The mayor said the goal of the speed bump was pedestrian safety because 5th Ave. is getting busier with tourists.

"My understanding is that raised crosswalks help with the visibility of pedestrians," said Mayor Mark McDermott.

The mayor said the current design by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has him concerned about driver safety, and he wasn't expecting so many issues.

"FDOT told us today [Tuesday] that they’re going to grind this one down to a lower height, so that will help," he added.

All along 5th Ave., the mayor said FDOT is planning to install four elevated crosswalks which will help people safely cross the road.

"Sometimes, it’s hard to ride your bicycle around here," said Byrd. "This actually slows it down and gives you a chance to get across the street."

After seeing the new addition, the community is asking FDOT to look into a different design before building the rest of the bumps.

"It seemed a little high. It seemed a little wide, too," Agee said.

"They could easily lose control of their car and go right onto the sidewalk, so it is a concern of mine now that you brought it up," Byrd concluded.

This issue will be addressed at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting. FDOT said a representative will be at the meeting, and they want to work with the town on a better solution to the design.

INDIALANTIC, Fla. – Speed bumps are used to slow down drivers and keep pedestrians safe, but some people in one beach town say a new raised crosswalk was causing their cars to bottom out and scrape the road.

After damages, the town of Indialantic put up signs warning drivers to slow down ahead of the crosswalk.

Next, the town and the Florida Department of Transportation will discuss what else can be done to make the speed bump safer during Wednesday night’s council meeting.

For a week on Fifth Avenue, some drivers dangerously hit the bump at full speed.

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“I watched a couple cars almost go airborne,” Dan Barile said.

And even though the crosswalk signs are visible now, drivers like Barile and Mayor Mark McDermott said the state needs to make a design change.

“Maybe remove it completely. Maybe shave it down,” the mayor said of the possible options.

McDermott said the council did not request a speed bump or a raised crosswalk for people crossing the road to the town hall.

The mayor said FDOT’s original description allowed drivers to pass through without slowing down.

“I like the idea of pedestrian safety, but I think it’s too abrupt the way it is now,” McDermott said. “It’s become a launching pad.”

Barile said he hopes the speed bump is removed.

“I don’t think the people were prepared for the change,” he said. “That’s an issue that they should have had some forethought.”

News 6 will let you know if the town and FDOT reach a resolution about the speed bump.

Watch for updates Tuesday night on News 6 at 11 and on ClickOrlando.com.

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