JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Business owners and customers in Avondale are petitioning for a crosswalk along a busy state road after a deadly motorcycle crash on Herschel Street in March.
READ MORE: Man killed as motorcycle collides with SUV, police say
Herschel Street, between Melrose and Beverly avenues, has become a problem area for pedestrians trying to cross the street.
The Concern
Many customers and business owners along Herschel Street said that although the speed limit is 30 mph, drivers speed through the area.
They said it’s a huge problem because most patrons of businesses in that area have to park across the street, exposing them to heavy traffic while they cross the street. Business owners like Ian Chase want to make Herschel Street safer for pedestrians.
“We are just concerned about safety for the community. It’s pretty scary. We’ve had some accidents; we’ve had a recent death. A young man was killed on his motorcycle,” said Chase, owner of the Chomp Chomp restaurant.
Edie Knapp owns a hair studio next door to Chomp Chomp and agrees with Chase.
“The traffic is just tremendous here," Knapp said. "And they just speed and nobody stops and pauses for anybody, and we do have some older clients, and (the drivers) just don’t stop."
Business owners are hoping to get crosswalks similar to those installed throughout the Shoppes of Avondale.
Those crossing the street agree a fix is needed.
“Well they (drivers) go a little faster than they should probably. It gets filled up on this side and then filled up on that side and there is a lot of foot traffic, and there isn’t a crosswalk where they go through right there,” said Nole Hamilton, a pedestrian in the area.
He said both traffic and speeding make the intersection dangerous.
The Petition
A petition has started for a crosswalk in Avondale. The petitions are available at the Soluna Yoga Spa on Herschel Street. About 400 signatures have already been collected.
The goal is to reach at least 500 signatures before approaching the Department of Transportation.