Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Change planned for perilous crossing

Officials hope crosswalk and roadway upgrades help prevent accidents at Keene Road and East Bay Drive.

By LORRI HELFAND
Published March 11, 2005

LARGO - Evelyn Albano cringes every time she hears brakes squealing outside her office window at Imperial Palms senior apartments.

"I hear screeching ... and then BOOM," the community manager said. "It's all day long."

Some of her residents have been hit by cars. One didn't survive.

In the past three years, there have been more than 120 accidents and four fatal accidents at the site on Keene Road, just a few hundred feet north of East Bay Drive.

Daily, dozens of folks, many of them elderly, make the trek across Keene Road. Few use the designated crosswalk at East Bay Drive and Keene Road, opting instead to cross mid block. City officials think those mid-block crossings and dangerous traffic patterns have contributed to the frequency and severity of accidents.

In September, the city asked Volkert & Associates consulting firm to evaluate safety issues on Keene Road, from Forest Parkway South to East Bay Drive.

City staff members worked with the firm to come up with ways to protect pedestrians.

The City Commission, namely Mayor Bob Jackson, ordered city staff members to institute changes as soon as possible. He said he was frustrated over how long it took city staff members to study the problem and present their findings to the commission.

"I am hoping we'll have something done in 90 days. I can't understand why we took five months to do it," Jackson said.

City engineer Todd Bosso said a thorough study was necessary for him to effectively tackle the problems.

"I needed to know and quantify what was out there," Bosso said. "I want to make sure I know what the facts are."

One city goal is to make the crosswalk easier to use and more attractive to pedestrians. Proposed crosswalk improvements are estimated at about $20,000.

Increasing the number of pedestrians who use the crosswalk could decrease the number of accidents, Bosso said. And because speeds are slower at intersections, it could also reduce the severity of accidents.

Terry Bowes, who crosses the street daily, said even the crosswalk is treacherous.

"It's not a real good intersection to cross," he said. "I've about been hit quite a few times. The light doesn't give you enough time, especially the elderly."

Bosso said the light currently allows 33 seconds to cross seven lanes of traffic.

A recent one-day study by the consultant showed that almost 100 percent of 88 crossings in the area occurred mid block. The study area also counted about 28,000 motorists a day.

Officials plan to enforce traffic rules more strictly by ticketing those who don't yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.

They also plan to add a countdown feature that lets pedestrians know how much time they have left to cross the road. The numbers will flash next to the symbols for "walk" and "don't walk."

The city decided to implement the countdown feature because pedestrians often become disoriented when they see the red hand symbol flash on the crosswalk signal.

The flashing hand is an indicator that the signal will change to its "don't walk" mode soon, but many pedestrians think it means they must stop in their tracks even if they're in the intersection.

The city also plans to improve the visibility of the walk area of the crosswalk by incorporating a textured pattern.

Mike Meany, assistant store manager at Kash n' Karry, said he's not sure the improvements will persuade pedestrians to use the crosswalk on a regular basis.

Terry Rieske, a Kash n' Karry customer, said the changes may help if nearby residents are educated about the new crosswalk features.

"I think it would sure be worth a shot. It's a life saved," said Rieske, whose father used to live at the Imperial Palms complex.

Albano said she's been lecturing her residents for years to use the crosswalks, but many can't make it across without being cut off by motorists.

"I keep on telling them go to the light to cross. They're jaywalking because they can't use the lights," Albano said.

Last week, 91-year-old Henry R. Cavaliere was struck and killed while crossing the road mid block on his electric scooter. Cavaliere lived near the complex.

Imperial Palms resident 81-year-old Jimmy Hitchcock, was struck by a drunken driver while crossing the street in the same area on Aug. 21, 2003. And a 22-year-old bicyclist was killed after colliding with a car pulling out of the supermarket on Dec. 10, 2003.

Current road features also pose risks to motorists. A 91-year-old man was killed in a car crash pulling out of Kash n' Karry on July 21.

With three Kash n' Karry exits on Keene Road, a center turn lane, heavy north-south traffic and a popular shopping center and senior complex across the road, the area sees a multitude of legal and illegal traffic patterns.

The city wants to decrease the opportunities for accidents by limiting the number of left turns motorists can make onto Keene. As a temporary fix, the city may install signs to restrict turns.

In the future, the median may also be extended further north on Keene Road.

Driveways may also be eliminated, including some exits at Kash n' Karry.

Albano said she's encouraged by the city's efforts.

"I think it will help," she said. "I think it's a good start."

Times staff photographer Doug Clifford contributed to this report. Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

Install signs prohibiting mid-block crossing by pedestrians

Improve visibility of crosswalk area with textured pattern

Ticket motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalk

Install countdown features on pedestrian devices

Limit left turns from exits onto Keene Road

[Last modified March 11, 2005, 01:23:21]