TAMPA, Fla. — The city of Tampa announced the completion of safety improvements for drivers and other neighbors in the Davis Islands area. It's part of "Vision Zero," a strategy the city is implementing to eliminate roadway fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safety.
People in the area can look forward to seeing new bike lands, enhanced crosswalks, lower speed limits and additional four-way stops. The city also plans to add more four-way stops in the future.
Mayor Jane Castor is proud of the safety improvements the city has been able to make throughout the first two phases.
"This is a great example of how the city is leveraging its maintenance projects to fulfill its Vision Zero goal,” Castor said. “These safety improvements only add a fraction to the overall cost of the project, while providing huge safety benefits for our road’s most vulnerable users."
This is only the completion of the first and second phases. The Davis Island Road Safety Improvements have one more phase to go.
Phase I improvements included 5,150 linear feet of new bike lanes, new pavement markings for on-street parking, new pavement markings at a mid-block crosswalk to make it more visible to drivers and walkers, and the narrowing of lanes; which the city says naturally encourages drivers to slow down.
Phase II was recently completed. It included:
- 2,800 feet of new bike lanes
- Improved pavement markings, median markers and delineators at critical locations throughout the Davis Boulevard Corridor
- A raised crosswalk and pedestrian bulb-out approaching the Davis Islands bridge
- Four Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon (RRFB) midblock crosswalks with refuge islands
- Corner islands to Davis Boulevard and Bosphorous Avenue to naturally slow down drivers, the city says
- The removal of the eastbound left-turn lane from Baltic Circle onto David Boulevard to prevent crashes
The city is looking forward to the completion of the final phase, which begins in the next few months. The improvements will finish the portion of Davis Boulevard that runs through the Village.
The city says improvements include:
- New four-way stops at intersections at Chesapeake Avenue, Biscayne Avenue and Barbados Avenue
- 22 new golf cart parking spaces
- Five marked handicap parking spaces that will be connected to the Village sidewalks
- A reduced speed limit to 15 miles per hour within the Village and narrowed travel lanes
- Updates to the intersection pedestrian crossings through the Village to meet current best practices and accessibility requirements
- Two new bike racks
- Upgraded pavement and improved drainage through the alley behind the westerly businesses between Biscayne Avenue and Barbados Avenue
City of Tampa Mobility Director Vik Bhide said he hopes drivers, pedestrians and cyclists feel more secure in the area.
"We are confident that by adding proven measures to slow drivers down, this will help reduce the likelihood of serious crashes and injuries on our roads," Bhide said.
