Hillsborough County officials consider safety improvements for walkers, bicyclists for Big Bend area schools

Hillsborough seeks feedback on safe routes to school

As Hillsborough County?s student population continues to grow, leaders are asking for input on ways to improve safety for those who walk or bike to and from school. FOX 13?s Kailey Tracy reports.

GIBSONTON, Fla. - Hillsborough County officials are working to make students’ commute to and from school safer in the Big Bend area.

Big picture view:

Students who live less than two miles from their schools in Hillsborough County are ineligible for bus service, so they either have to walk, bike or get driven to school.

Engineers look at the routes students take to and from school every year and study improvements for walkers and cyclists.

They then share the proposals with PTA members, school principals and the community, asking for feedback. Right now, they’re looking at safety improvements for East Bay High School, Eisenhower Middle School and Corr Elementary School.

What they're saying:

"South County is growing," Bob Campbell, Hillsborough County’s Transportation Engineering Manager, said. "Luckily, we have to build new infrastructure in concert with that, and so luckily, in our development services process, we asked for sidewalks, speed limit changes, things of that nature. So, we worked together to remind, to make the newer developments and kids walking to school happen concurrently."

Along the routes to these three schools, they’re considering new high-visibility crosswalks and pedestrian signage, design treatments to encourage slower turns, new sidewalk ramps, extending school zones and adjusting flashing beacons.

"The goal of the Safe Routes program is to provide engineering infrastructure, like marked crosswalk signals and those types of things, outside the school zone within a two-mile radius of the school, so parents and their children feel safe letting the children walk to school," Campbell said.

READ: Hillsborough County could add 500,000 residents by 2050: Officials

They’re also looking at studying the feasibility of a new shared-use path along Old Big Bend Road east of I-75 and the feasibility of a pedestrian bridge across Big Bend Road west of Covington Garden Drive as part of the Southcoast Greenway Trail improvement.

"One thing, within the radius of the school, always be alert," Campbell said. "There may be a walk or a bicycle out there. We're trying to, this program, is to address within that two-mile radius, safe ways to get there with adequate signage, markings, elevated crosswalks and others … So, our main focus is drivers, kids are there, pay attention."

Right now, money is available for Tier 1 improvements, Campbell said, like the high-visibility crosswalks and pedestrian signage. Those take about six months to a year to build, while other projects could take about five years.

What's next:

Design and construction are planned for 2026. County officials want feedback. You can share your opinions on Hillsborough County’s website through Friday, Aug. 22.