HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — People who use wheelchairs, motorized scooters and other mobility aids are having trouble navigating sidewalks and streets in Hillsborough County, a new county-based study finds.
Hillsborough County leaders are reviewing the plan now and are looking for ways to make things safer.
The Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan finds that a lack of continuous sidewalks and bicycle facilities are hurting their ability to navigate sidewalks, streets and public transportation in a comfortable and safe manner.
Hillsborough County found overall access on sidewalks is often impacted by poles, benches, or other elements blocking the clear space on sidewalks, especially for people who use wheelchairs, scooters, or other mobility aids.
Transportation leaders are also learning there are varying widths of sidewalks and bike lanes as well as incomplete sidewalk systems and bicycle facility networks.
There are also problematic intersections because of high traffic volume, a large number of turning movements at an intersection, and a lack of pedestrian signalization, the study found.
These factors are barriers to pedestrian and bicyclist safety and put an undue stress on the transportation disadvantaged population, according to the study. These factors are barriers to pedestrian and bicyclist safety and put an undue stress on the transportation disadvantaged population, the report shows.
