Foot, bike traffic increase risks on fairly safe roadway
An official says the stretch where four siblings were hit has adequate sidewalks, bike lanes, lighting and crosswalks.
By BRADY DENNIS and JOSH ZIMMER
Published April 13, 2004
TAMPA - The stretch of 22nd Street between Bearss and Fletcher avenues has become the most talked-about road in Hillsborough County during the past two weeks.
Four siblings were hit by a car while crossing the street on March 31. Two brothers, ages 3 and 13, died in the accident. Since then, the safety of the road has come under scrutiny again and again.
Angry residents claimed their requests for safety measures had been ignored in the past. Lawmakers called for immediate improvements to protect children who frequent the nearby University Area Community Center. County officials drove the road dozens of times, contemplating possible changes.
Also, they studied the figures.
Statistics gathered along the street since 1999 reveal a road, at least by the numbers, no more deadly than many throughout Hillsborough County. Until March 31, there had been no fatalities there within the past five years.
Most traffic tickets on 22nd Street covered insurance and license violations rather than speeding or unsafe driving. When pedestrians were involved in accidents, it was often their fault.
Staff members today will report to the County Commission on changes already made to the road and on additional safeguards that are on the drawing board. The changes, they say, are warranted.
"The road itself is a very good design. That road anyplace else is going to operate safely," said Peter Brett, the county's manager of traffic services. He said it has adequate sidewalks, bike lanes, good visibility, lighting and crosswalks.
"(But) in that neighborhood, there are a lot of people on foot and on bikes. It's unique and creates problems."
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Statistics from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the office of Planning and Growth Management show that nearly 4,000 traffic citations have been issued along the road since 1999.
Of those, the vast majority were written for violations such as failure to display proper insurance, unsafe equipment (such as a broken headlight), driving with a suspended or revoked license, expired license tag or failure to wear a seat belt.
Speeding ranks only third on the list, with 232 citations. No other moving violation ranks within the top seven.
During the same period, there have been more than 400 traffic accidents along the road. Twenty of those accidents from 1999 to 2003 involved pedestrians, as did the one fatal accident this year.
"One of the things I've noticed," said sheriff's traffic analyst John Chaffin, "is that a lot of the pedestrian accidents are the pedestrian's fault. I don't think the pedestrians use the sidewalks very much up there. That's kind of a well-known fact."
Brett agrees. He said residents often dart out into traffic unexpectedly.
"You have a lot of youth (nearby)," he said. "I drove up and down that thing at least a dozen times. I witnessed the behavior of pedestrians around there. They are very aggressive."
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The ribbon of 22nd Street where the accident happened runs through one of the poorest areas of Hillsborough County. The community of about 31,000 people is home to some of the highest rates for crime, infant mortality, domestic abuse and non-high school graduates.
This area has been known as "Suitcase City" because of turnover at its cheap apartment complexes. It remains predominantly black, but it has grown more diverse with the influx of thousands of Hispanics, mostly from Central America, who have flocked to the low-cost housing.
In recent years, improving the economic scene has been a top priority. Activists working closely with the county put together development plans, which include the redesign of 22nd Street into a thriving, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare lined with small businesses and single-family townhomes.
The idea is to jump-start private investment with a public building program. In the past five years, a flurry of taxpayer-funded construction has sprung up along 22nd Street, from the new community center to nearby Muller Elementary School.
A future high school career center is scheduled to open this year. A new county health clinic and social services building is going up. The neighborhood is a federal empowerment zone, which gives developers access to a mix of breaks on taxes and impact fees.
The approach may be working. Private investment has begun to pour in. On nearby Fletcher Avenue, Precision Toyota is building a new $11-million dealership. On the south side of 22nd Street, University Village could end up spending even more on a 62-home retirement community.
But more development likely will bring more traffic and more pedestrians than ever before.
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With the long-term overhaul of 22nd Street still years away, county workers have been shuffling to make the street safer in the interim.
Since the March 31 accident that killed Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his 3-year-old brother, Durontae Caldwell, workers have replaced the yellow pedestrian signs with brighter, fluorescent green ones. They removed the aging 30-mph speed limit signs and replaced them with new ones.
They also refurbished two crosswalks, Brett said.
On Monday, they held meetings to discuss other traffic-calming devices. Among them: a traffic light at the intersection of 22nd Street and 142nd Avenue; a button-activated traffic crossing signal; flashing lights atop the pedestrian signs; and reflective pavement markings known as "cat eyes."
Officials also are contemplating a drop in the speed limit to 25 mph near the community center. And they plan to hold pedestrian safety meetings at the community center in the near future.
Part of the battle, Brett said, is educating pedestrians to be careful, even with slower traffic.
"It's something we really have to work on," he said.
