My new apartment building is aptly named: “Island Paradise.”

It’s hard to argue with that while stepping out the door to enjoy cool breezes off the water, parks and restaurants within walking distance, and the generally quiet streets of Davis Islands.

I say “generally” because the new digs are relatively close to the island’s business district, which brings in outside motorists and gets noisier on weekends, when bands sometimes play in courtyards along the strip.

There is traffic trouble in paradise, too, at times. On-street parking, carefree pedestrians, speeding commuters and perilous crosswalks along Davis Boulevard all offer obstacles to the neighborhood tranquility.

Here are a few issues I’ve noticed in my short time as a resident of this fine community:

To begin with the basics, most of the roads are all beautifully paved and free of any bumpy patchwork like that found on Bay to Bay Boulevard or other ravaged South Tampa roadways. One exception I’ve noted is along the northern end of Danube Avenue, where the street surface appears to have gone untouched since the mid-1960s. It could use some work.

As I mentioned, there is some noise from the business district on weekends, but it’s negligible – couldn’t put a dent in Ybor’s deafening decibel levels. It’s actually nice to have some nightlife nearby.

But sadly, the area is not immune to the boom car phenomenon. There are fewer on the island than there were in my old neighborhood near Waters and Florida avenues, but what residents lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Last week, I saw the biggest, shiniest boom truck I have ever laid eyes on. The reverberating bass was deep and rich. The undercarriage twinkled with neon purple flashes of light. It was a real piece of work – and just as annoying as the rustier rigs in my old hood.

Moving on to weightier issues, reader Bill Tripp of Blanca Avenue sent in his concerns about the hazardous pedestrian crosswalk at the bottom of the bridge leading onto the island. As drivers move across the bridge, whether entering from Bayshore or Hyde Park boulevards, they usually speed up to merge with other vehicles. Vision is restricted by a curve in the road, and you hardly know the crosswalk is there until you’re on top of it. It’s a dangerous situation for all involved.

“To slow or stop for pedestrians crossing here is to invite a rear-end crash due to poor visibility,” Tripp wrote. “Many cars are exceeding the safe speed limit due to the down slope. This should be treated as an urgent high-priority problem.”

Davis Islands Civic Association vice president Denise Cassedy has been active in the community for many years, working to develop long-range plans for dealing with traffic tangles and other problems. She said the city’s relocation of this pedestrian crossing in 2004 – when it was moved closer to the bottom of the bridge – did help those on foot to better see oncoming cars. But there’s still a catch.

“They extended the sidewalk up a little bit so that you can actually see oncoming traffic (if you’re walking), but unfortunately, the traffic really can’t see you,” Cassedy said. “It gives you a false sense of security. I think the city knows it wasn’t the best solution, but I don’t know where else they can put crosswalks there.”

She agrees people are inclined to speed over the entrance bridge, but hopes a new lighting project might slow things down a bit. Her self-professed “pet project” of three years, this involves adding “up lighting” to trees along the main median of Davis Boulevard.

Karen Cashin with the city of Tampa parks and recreation department described the project as primarily “aesthetic.” However, any bit of light that allows cars to see better as they drive onto the island is helpful, she added.

The city has already purchased lights to be set at ground level and shined up into the trees as accent illumination. Cashin is still working the project through permitting process, complicated by the median’s split between city parkland and right of way. She hopes to have the red tape untangled and the lights in the ground by Christmas.

While this will offer an ambient glow that could help pedestrian visibility, Cashin doesn’t see the project as a solution to the bridge-and-crosswalk problem.

Alas, it seems no one has an ideal solution right now. To make things truly safe, the city would probably have to purchase or receive easement from one of the nearby condominiums, and run the crosswalk under the entrance bridge. Otherwise, the path would have to run much farther south on Davis Boulevard. Neither idea is going to be deemed practical, nor likely to happen any time soon.

I was unable to reach a city of Tampa traffic safety engineer for comment before press time, but crosswalks such as these generally fall within their jurisdiction. If you would like to throw in your two cents, give them a call at the Public Works Department, 274-8721. It can’t hurt to have more people addressing the dangers. Also, you can make requests for new sidewalks and sidewalk repair by calling 274-8333.

Another viable but slightly more complicated option is to visit www.tampagov.net and click on the link to the Customer Service Center in the upper left hand corner. When the page pops up, hit the “A to Z listing” link, then click on “S” and scroll down to “Street Marking Request,” selecting either “new” or “repair.” Then you get to fill out a form. Whew.
I recommend just picking up the phone.

Meanwhile, I’ve run a bit long-winded, but will take up further Davis Islands discourse in an upcoming column. In noting these issues it is not my intention to complain – merely to inform and assist. I would like to hear more of your concerns.
Send me e-mail sometime, and let me know if you think I’m “right on,” or just off my rocker.

Send rants and raves about South Tampa traffic to Mitzi Gordon at .