Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Column

Group wants crosswalk added at Platt, Bayshore

Bayshore A petition organizer hopes to help people in wheelchairs crossing the street.

By Courtney Herrig,Times Staff Writer
Published March 7, 2008

A petition proposing to install a crosswalk at Bayshore Boulevard and Platt Street is among the latest efforts to improve pedestrian safety at one of the city's most well-known intersections.

For Davis Islands residents, a walk with their children to Gorrie Elementary or a stroll to Publix isn't practical, not because of the distance, but because of safety.

The closest crosswalk on Bayshore from the Davis Islands Bridge is nearly 2 miles away at Howard Avenue. The Davis Islands overpass is closer to the bridge but is not accessible for people in wheelchairs.

Mimi Conneely, the petition's main organizer and a Hyde Park resident, created the petition when she repeatedly noticed people in wheelchairs struggling to cross Bayshore as cars zoomed by. She decided to do something to help. In the process, she gathered support from Davis Islands mothers who wanted to walk their children to school rather than drive.

"Bayshore is becoming the city's main artery," Conneely said. "Therefore, the city has the obligation to provide accessibility."

Last fall at a series of forums called the Urban Charrette, local architects, urban planners and residents discussed the region's "walkability."

Experts said communities that encourage people to walk have benefits including more social interaction, physical fitness and diminished crime.

Crosswalks, tree-lined streets and low-level lighting promote walking in cities, according to Taryn Sabia, co-director of the Urban Charrette.

A crosswalk at Bayshore and Platt could be beneficial, Sabia said. There is already a light at the intersection, but a crosswalk would allow people to press a button, signaling the light to change to red.

Conneely also wants the crosswalk to include special features that accommodate blind people and people in wheelchairs.

Irvin Lee, the city's director of public works, said installing a crosswalk at the intersection would not be simple. While the electrical component of the crosswalk would cost $7,000 to $12,000, other costs are unpredictable.

"This isn't your average intersection," Lee said. "Elements of traffic, speed and distance will affect the engineer's proposal that will give insight to the cost of the project."

This isn't the first time pedestrian safety on Bayshore has been discussed. The Bayshore Task Force also addressed the issue in 2004 in a report to Mayor Pam Iorio. Several suggestions outlined in the report were completed, such as the Howard Avenue crosswalk and a continuous sidewalk along southbound Bayshore.

Conneely plans to give the petition's signatures to the Tampa Mayor's Alliance for Persons with Disabilities on March 18 at the group's monthly meeting. The advocacy organization will vote on whether to adopt the cause.

Conneely hopes the petition will gather a couple of thousand signatures before then. Early this week, about 200 people had signed the petition, she said.

To sign the petition or to see the Bayshore Task Force's report, go to bayshoreforall.com.

[Last modified March 10, 2008, 17:09:52]