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Crosswalks to get boost in visibility

Westchase may be a Hillsborough County pilot project for slowing traffic for pedestrians.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 29, 2005

WESTCHASE - Billy Kimberlin will be the first to tell you, getting across Countryway Boulevard to the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center isn't easy.

Cars just whiz by, as if the crosswalk where Kimberlin navigates his wheelchair didn't even exist. A county study of the road turned up what, for most who live there, is obvious: "There is an excessive speeding problem," says senior traffic engineer Gary Tait.

Together, the county and the Westchase Community Association plan to redesign the intersection, to make it more visible to drivers. If the setup works here, Tait says, the county intends to replicate it throughout Hillsborough.

The idea is really quite simple. Instead of painting white stripes across the road, like usual, the county would mark the crosswalk with the same screaming fluorescent yellow-green that fire trucks lately have become.

The county also is considering other features, including extended medians and upgraded signs, Tait said. One idea that has worked well at the crossing between Tampa Bay Downs and its parking lot across Race Track Road is a paddle sign cemented into the center line of the road, Tait added.

Deputies have found it effective in slowing traffic where people cross to the track, he said. The paddle might also play a part in the prototype intersection in Westchase.

The redesign will not be gaudy, government affairs committee chair Daryl Manning said Thursday, addressing community association members who might worry about the aesthetics.

But the members did not require much persuading.

In fact, board members and other residents immediately began brainstorming additional intersections that could use a facelift.

Chris Barrett, editor of the community newsletter, suggested that a good site would be across Linebaugh Avenue at Montague Street. Middle school children often cross there to get ice cream in West Park Village after school, Barrett said, and cars push into the crosswalk as if the children were invisible.

Manning said the county has about five Westchase crosswalks under consideration besides the one at the Swim and Tennis Center. Others on the board said the county shouldn't limit itself.

"My thought is to do the (entire) community as a pilot," board president Jim Mills said.

Kimberlin, also a board member, agreed.

"The whole idea is to make people see the crosswalks," he said. "They know we want every crosswalk in Westchase done."

The work is scheduled to begin as soon as the county receives the materials.

- Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 28, 2005, 09:58:04]