Back in the 1950s, Jacksonville police recommended, and politicians approved, a new traffic scheme requiring traffic on many downtown streets to move in one direction, as well as feeder roads such as College and Post streets.

The intent was to speed up the traffic, and it worked.

In past years, the Riverside roads have been returned to two-way streets and now city officials propose to convert Adams and Forsyth streets back to two-way traffic between Jefferson and Liberty – a distance of 11 blocks.

Brainiacs in City Haul have decided to slow down traffic. That also is the reason speed bumps are going up everywhere. The latest fad is called “traffic calming.”

Heaven forbid that traffic should move efficiently and that people’s time not be wasted.

One might surmise that the real reason is to inconvenience people enough so that they will use mass transit such as the Skyway Express, which is costing taxpayers millions of dollars and moving few people.

Since the Skyway is such a boondoggle, City Haul now wants to throw another $380 million at it.

Another question: why on Earth would it cost $3,127,492 to convert the traffic direction on 11 blocks of two streets?

We asked City Haul for a detailed cost breakdown and were advised: “We do not have this information ready now. This project is still in planning phase, design will begin shortly. We can put together a preliminary cost estimate by the end of this week. I will send you more information as soon as it is available.”

We did learn that $1.2 million of the cost is for someone to design the changeover.

Eye on Jacksonville would have done the design for a mere $1 million, if asked:

Design: Take down the one-way signs and turn parking meters on one side of the street around to face the other way.

You’re welcome.

(NOTE: You might want to call your Council member and ask what the heck? Why does it cost $3 Million+ to turnaround one way signs and meters?)