HOLMES BEACH, FLA. -- The City of Holmes Beach is stepping up pedestrian and bike safety following an accident that took a vacationers life.
- Holmes Beach stepping up pedestrian, bike safety
- Changes following death of vacationer
- Signs posted warning vehicles of pedestrians
Space can get pretty tight when it comes to sharing the road on Holmes Beach, and sometimes sidewalks and bike paths just aren't an option.
"Well, we took this road off the main beaten path because we thought it would be safer, but we noticed the bike trail cut off and is not on this road," said vacationer Viki Dittrich.
It's a problem Police Chief Bill Tokajer said he's well aware of. Without a decent bike lane, tourists and residents need to be on high alert when crossing roads.
"We had a couple that was crossing the roads on one of our curbs, not something we ever suggest. We like people using our crosswalks," Tokajer said.
While crossing the street earlier this year, a 79-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car making a slight turn.
Since then, changes have been made.
"We put up some cautionary signs at the beginning of every S curve that we have, and every curve that we have on the island, warning people that they could encounter pedestrians," Tokajer said.
So far, there have been 14 signs posted. Chief Tokajer said renovations like these are just the beginning.
"Looking at adding some sidewalks in the area and we're looking at better marking our crosswalks," he said.
The next step to getting those push signs and crosswalks is approval and then funding from city council.