Janelle Irwin Taylor
In an effort to further the city’s Vision Zero plan, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor officially unveiled the city’s second Crosswalks to Classrooms location Tuesday morning.
Joined by students, parents and teachers from Dr. Carter G. Woodson pre-K through eighth grade Magnet School, Castor sauntered across the freshly painted crosswalk by local artist Jay Giroux.
The brightly colored crosswalk is meant to draw drivers’ attention to the intersection in order to keep kids safe as they cross to and from school.
The design also encourages youth literacy, featuring book titles throughout the walkway.
“The City of Tampa is fully committed to Vision Zero and a part of that commitment is ensuring our younger generation has safe routes to schools but also that they are educated about pedestrian safety,” Castor said.
The city’s Vision Zero plan aims to eradicate pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle fatalities citywide through a series of efforts including safer crosswalks, better street design and technology upgrades that make getting around safer in a city that consistently ranks at or near the top in pedestrian fatalities nationwide.
The latest Crosswalks to Classrooms location is at the intersection of East Yukon St. and North 22nd St.
The first crosswalk was painted at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Washington Street in downtown Tampa near the Rampello Magnet School.
“We have the distinction, the unfortunate distinction of being one of the worst communities in the nation for bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle fatalities,” Castor said. “We are here today to put an end to that,” Castor said at the first installation.
The improvements cost about $2,000 per intersection and take just a day to complete.
The city is strategically evaluating intersections to determine where to next improve sidewalks.
Tampa averages about 200 traffic-related fatalities per year, a number Castor vowed to eradicate as part of her campaign promises when she ran for Mayor last year.
The Vision Zero plan includes a multifaceted approached to road safety that seeks to eliminate fatalities by combining safe transportation planning, speed management, education and strategic planning and goal-setting. Castor said the city is already working on establishing its Vision Zero goals.
