The city of Fort Worth plans to reconfigure several blocks of N Sylvania Ave. near the proposed urban village. The street will have one lane in either direction with a turn lane in the middle. The goal is to create a safer, walkable, pedestrian friendly environment encouraging residents to frequent the future shops and restaurants. However, after these few blocks, N Sylvania would widen back to a 4 lane straightaway that spans almost 2 miles with 1 stoplight. Homes, churches, a school, and small businesses front this section of the street where the average speed is 40-50 mph despite the 35 mph speed limit. Many of the Oakhurst, Sylvan Heights, and Vintage Riverside residents wanting to walk to the urban village would use this stretch of the N. Sylvania and it is NOT safe! Even if traffic volumes subside, the current design of street allows for driving as if on a drag strip and many do. Accidents occur often and vehicles end on sidewalks and in yards. For safety and preservation of our neighborhoods, we want the entire span of N. Sylvania Ave from Belknap to NE 28th converted to one lane in either direction with a turn lane in the middle. Blke lanes could also be marked as planned in Fort Worth’s Master Bike plan.
