Roadway Safety Objective Of Davis Islands Road Improvements

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and the city of Tampa’s Mobility Department announced the completion of the first and second phases of safety improvements on Davis Islands, including new bike lanes and enhanced crosswalks.

Road users can expect lower speed limits, additional four-way stops and other safety improvements in the near future.

The Davis Islands Road Safety Improvements are being completed in three phases.

Phase I is now complete and features:

• 5,150 linear feet of new bike lanes
• New pavement markings for on-street parking
• New pavement markings at a mid-block crosswalk to make it more visible to drivers and pedestrians
• Narrowing of lanes, which naturally encourages drivers to slow down

“This is a great example of how the city is leveraging its maintenance projects to fulfill its Vision Zero goal,” Castor said. “These safety improvements only add a fraction to the overall cost of the project, while providing huge safety benefits for our road’s most vulnerable users.”

Phase II of the safety improvements was recently completed, putting several upgrades into place, including:

• 2,800 linear feet of new bike lanes
• Improved pavement markings, median markers, and delineators at critical locations throughout the Davis Boulevard Corridor
• A raised crosswalk and pedestrian bulb-out approaching the Davis Islands bridge to reduce vehicle speeds through the crosswalk and make it more visible to pedestrians
• Four Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon (RRFB) mid-block crosswalks with refuge islands to increase pedestrian safety throughout the Davis Boulevard Corridor
• Corner islands to Davis Boulevard and Bosphorous Avenue to naturally slow down drivers as they turn
• Removal of the eastbound left-turn lane from Baltic Circle onto Davis Boulevard to prevent crashes

The final phase of this project is expected to begin in the next few months and will finish the portion of Davis Boulevard that runs through the village.

Phase III will feature:

• New four-way stops at intersections at Chesapeake Avenue, Biscayne Avenue and Barbados Avenue
• 22 new golf cart parking spaces
• Five marked handicapped parking spaces that will be connected to the village sidewalks
• A reduced speed limit of 15 miles per hour within the village as well as narrowed travel lanes to discourage speeding
• Updates to the intersection pedestrian crossings through the village to meet current best practices and accessibility requirements
• Two new bike racks
• Upgraded pavement and improved drainage through the alley behind the westerly businesses between Biscayne Avenue and Barbados Avenue.

“We hope that drivers, pedestrians and cyclists will feel more secure as they make their way around Davis Islands thanks to these safety improvements,” said Vik Bhide, Tampa mobility director. “We are confident that by adding proven measures to slow drivers down, this will help reduce the likelihood of serious crashes and injuries on our roads.”

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proven successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities.

"The city of Tampa believes that, by embracing Vision Zero, we can help prevent tragedies on our roads by taking a proactive, safe system approach that prioritizes traffic safety as a public health issue," Bhide said.