Orange County Takes a Proactive Approach to Ped Safety

The best way to assess ped problems is to be a ped. 

Orange County planners did just that as part of the Texas – Americana Road Safety Small Area Study in the neighborhood bounded by John Young Parkway, Orange Blossom Trail, Oak Ridge Road and 33rd Street. Traveling by foot they identified areas where the sidewalk needed repairs, more bus stop benches and other accessibility issues for the students walking and biking to and from Palmetto Elementary School.

The area hosts many different types of road users – drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders. With this amount of transportation diversity, conflict points are more common – meaning more accidents are more likely. In 2014, there were eight pedestrian injuries alone at the intersection of Orange Blossom Trail and Oak Ridge.

Thank you Orange County, for taking note of the ped improvements need in this neighborhood.

Proposed Solutions:

Many road safety enhancements have been planned for the next few years including:

• Holden Avenue:

o   Widened from 2 to 4 lanes from John Young parkway to US 441

o   Added sidewalks which currently do not exist

o   Raised median

o   Install bike lanes

o   Includes highway lighting

o   Timeline: June 2016

 

• Americana Boulevard:

o   New lighting from John Young Parkway to Texas Avenue

o   Upgraded lighting form Texas Avenue to Orange Blossom Trail(OBT)

o   LED upgrades

o   Timeline: 2015

 

• Americana Boulevard and Texas Avenue:

o   New traffic signal – mast arm

o   Timeline 1-3 years

 

• Texas Avenue and Rio Grande Avenue

o   Re-align eastbound approach to allow room for a sidewalk

o   Timeline: Long-term

 

• Texas Avenue and Oak Ridge Road:

o   New curb cut ramp and median cut for pedestrians

o   Timeline: mid-range

 

• Texas Avenue and Honour Road:

o   Install crosswalks with pedestrian yield signs

o   Timeline: short-term

 

• Americana Boulevard:

o   Three additional pedestrian crossings with RRFBs between San Antonia Avenue and Texas Avenue

o   Timeline: mid-range

 

• Texas Avenue and Duskin Avenue

o   Emphasize school crossing

 

• Recommended sidewalk improvements:

o   Americana Boulevard from Texas Avenue to OBT

o   Honor Road from Texas avenue to Rio Grande Avenue

o   Curb ramp at SW corner of Holden Rd and Rio Grande Avenue intersection

o   Other gaps require design and/or right-of-way

 

• Signalization Improvements:

o   Fix all broken push buttons

o   Increase pedestrian walk times to meet new standards

 

• Transit Improvements:

o   Shelters at high ridership locations

o   Shelter lighting

o   Trash receptacles

 

For more information on the study, click here.