Changes are coming to Ybor City in response to a deadly November car crash that killed four people and injured another 13.
Tampa officials presented the changes during a city council meeting last week. The measures should increase safety to protect pedestrians in the district, officials said.
They include:
- Narrowing roadways
- Lowering Seventh Avenue speed limit from 30 to 25 mph
- Addition of four-way stops on intersections
- Increasing of patrol units throughout the district
- Placement of safety bollards to protect the sidewalks
Transportation Services director Adam Purcell told council members the goal is to get drivers to slow down.
“We need to slow traffic and stop their ability from accessing the pedestrian space along the roadway,” he said. “What we hope is that as the traffic approaches the more active segment of Seventh Avenue in Ybor, it slows down because of that physical impediment of the narrowing of lanes.”
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In November, a high-speed police chase ended when a driver lost control and slammed into a sidewalk and patio outside a popular Ybor City nightclub.
Residents and victims’ families have since been pushing for stricter safety measures to protect pedestrians in the entertainment district.
The changes will be rolled out within the next two weeks.
The city is also replacing the asphalt road on Seventh Avenue with bricks.
Officials hope this will also help reduce speeds on the road.
“If you drive on brick roads, you know that they give a lot of feedback,” Purcell said. “They make you be aware of your surroundings and drive a little bit slower.”
Officials say other measures are still being considered, such as raising sidewalks and potentially lowering speed limits even more.
