Tampa Residents Demand Safety Changes on 7th Avenue After Fatal Ybor City Crash

Tampa residents want city officials to make walking safer on 7th Avenue in Ybor City. This comes after a deadly crash Saturday night. People spoke up during a vigil where several city councilors listened.

Taylor Aguilera spoke to the crowd and elected officials. She advocates for pedestrian safety. "We need retractable barricades! We need you in City Hall to protect us from future tragedies like this," said Aguilera, per FOX 13.

Some residents want retractable barriers at intersections. These would stop traffic on weekends. "Why wouldn't you do that here?" Tampa resident Alexandra Lydic questioned.

"I definitely think that there should be the road closed off or some barricades or something," said Lydic to FOX 13. "There's so many people down here late at night and just with all the traffic and the drinking, it's not always the safe environment to have cars driving."

Others think better enforcement would slow drivers down. Vic Sheeran has lived in the area for years. "We need more police, you know, to stop, you know, watch the traffic, because sometimes there is speed," said Sheeran.

The retractable barrier idea faces pushback. City Councilor Bill Carlson doesn't expect the proposal to gain traction because of other safety concerns.

"It doesn't matter if the street's closed or not," Lydic said. "If you're, you know, looking for trouble, or you're in that position, it's kind of going to happen whether the streets are barricaded or not."

Tampa Councilor Alan Clendenin spoke before the vigil. He said, "The city is constantly looking into ways to make 7th Avenue safe at night. We've had incidents down here before, we've had many community meetings, and we'll continue that process."

Councilor Naya Young represents District 5. That's where the area sits. "We want people to feel safe when they go out on a Friday night," Young said.

A Tampa city official was asked about infrastructure changes. The official said, "That's something we'll look at." Any legislative changes will take time since less than two days have passed since the crash occurred Saturday night.

Other cities have tried traffic-calming methods. These include narrowing driving lanes, speed bumps, bump-outs on corners, and bollards on sidewalks to keep cars from jumping the curb.