TAMPA, Fla. — With more people comes more crashes. That's what Hillsborough County officials said is sparking change in now heavily trafficked areas like Sheldon Road.
"Traffic is so congested out here...It’s getting pretty bad. It’s bumper to bumper all the time. There used to be a little bit of slack. Now, it’s bumper to bumper constantly," driver John Harris said.
Sheldon Road from South Mobley Road down Hillsborough Avenue is on the county's radar.
"We have a long history of crashes along this corridor. That's the reason it became part of our high injury network," Bob Campbell, Transportation Engineering Manager for Hillsborough County, said.
Campbell said too many crashes along that stretch of Sheldon Rd involve serious injuries. Data from the county showed there were nearly 300 crashes in 2018.
Campbell added that number could be much higher as more people move to the area. He said that's why plans to lower the speed limit along the corridor are in the works.
"Faster you go and you hit someone, the more damage caused. So, one of the things we're addressing here is lower that a little bit, try to lower the speed limit to 45 to 40. If an accident happens, we hope it's not as severe as it would with a higher speed limit," Campbell explained.
Drivers described the area as dangerous and they want to see changes.
"Usually in the early mornings, with the lights being so slow, people are trying to rush the lights and just gunning it to get through the lights and bobbing and weaving through traffic. So, I've had to be more cautious as a driver to navigate around that," Daniel Ramech, another driver, said.
Campbell said in an effort to alleviate congestion and reduce rear-ended crashes, traffic signals along Sheldon Road will be interconnected.
"If we post it at x miles an hour and you travel that speed, most likely you're going to catch lights green, green, green. If you speed, you go two signals, stop. So, that technique usually gets people to slow down." Campbell added.
The county said it will begin lowering speed limits by five and re-timing traffic signals by the end of April.
