Students who walk or ride bicycles to attend two Brandon public schools will benefit from improvements being planned for the routes they travel.
The Hillsborough County School Route Safety Improvement Program identifies routes that have a lot of students using their legs to travel between home and school and that also could benefit from safety improvements. Brandon High School at 1101 Victoria St. and Limona Elementary School at 1115 Telfair Rd., about 1 mile south of the high school, are among locations identified as candidates for pedestrian corridor upgrades.
The two schools are paired for what the county is calling the Brandon High School and Limona Elementary School Routes Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvement Project because of the close proximity they have to each other and also because they share many of the same pedestrian pathways used by students.
Among the hazards that officials consider are if incomplete or poorly maintained sidewalks exist as well as whether traffic controls like signs and signals or more lighting can help improve safety, making nonautomotive travel to school more appealing to families. Traffic volume, vehicle crashes and number of students walking or bicycling are also considered, as is input from residents.
The improvements are currently in the planning stage. A public engagement portal for the project, also known as Capital Improvement Project 69676009, is accessible via the Hillsborough County website. Details about the project, which has cost $30,277 so far, are available there, as is a public survey and comment section that was open from March 28 until April 10. Comments on the portal during the engagement period are anonymous, but among those left there were common concerns, such as the general need for engineering improvements and the behavioral problems of distracted or speeding drivers, as related by one commenter who identified as living near the intersection of Lumsden Rd. and Parsons Ave.
“It’s overdue and certainly needed. The population is increasing and Brandon Boulevard and Lumsden Road are major roads, and it does need the improvement for children safety to be able to get to school. Also, the speed limit on Lumsden Road needs to be changed from 45 to 35 mph. Cars coming from Lumsden/Lithia intersection flying over 45 mph,” said the commenter.
For more information call 813-635-5400 or visit the Hillsborough County Engagement Hub at hcflgov.net.
