points just a matter of hours. We met
our deadline, and everybody did a
good job of supporting the cause.”
Trowell was the honored guest
at a ceremony Aug. 8 recognizing the
effort, and County officials had her
switch on the signals for the
first time.
“It’s definitely an amazing feeling
because I now know everyone who
goes through that intersection and
walks through that school zone is
much safer,” said Trowell, 15, who
is now a freshman at Frank W.
Springstead High School in nearby
Hernando County.
Project Changes Configuration
The intersection was redesigned in
October 2016 from a T-intersection
to a four-way intersection, Bunk
said, which included realignment
and additional turn lanes. Before
the improvements, the intersection
did not meet criteria for installing a
traffic signal. However, data collected
after the improvements did show
increased traffic. County staff looked
at traffic volume, crash reports, and
other data to see if a traffic light
was warranted.
“The problem we faced was we
didn’t have a full year’s worth of
crash data to determine if we had a
crash problem there,” he said.
Trowell felt differently, especially
after witnessing a rollover crash
that occurred on Shady Hills Road
near several students walking to
school. That incident spurred her into
action. When she approached the
Pasco County School District about
the possibility of installing a traffic
signal in front of the school, she said
administrators told her it could take
three to four years for such a project
to be completed.
“I was like, ‘That’s not going to
work for me,’ ” she said. “The car
flipped into the ditch so close to the
students that it could easily have
hit one of them. That was the big
push for me. … I knew from my civics
class that people have the freedom
to petition, but how often do older
people listen to younger kids? I knew
I needed to do something for them to
go, ‘Wow. We actually have to listen
to her. She actually knows what she’s
talking about.’ ”
CRASHES
ON THE RISE
In 2016, Florida’s traffic deaths
reached their highest level in many
years; more than 3,000 people died
on the state’s roadways. Federal,
state, and local agencies are well
aware of the statistics and are
continually striving for ways to
improve safety.
Total Crashes 395,797
Injury Crashes 165,941
Crashes with Traffic Fatalities 2,936
Total Traffic Fatalities 3,177
Pedestrian Crashes 9,102
Pedestrian Fatalities 667
Bicycle Crashes 6,667
Bicycle Fatalities 140
Source: Florida’s Integrated Report
Exchange System
Fact-Finding Mission Begins
With assistance from her father,
Tyler, throughout the process,
Continued on page 5
Makayla Trowell and her
father, Tyler Trowell, were
guests of honor at a ceremony
in August to switch on the
traffic signal, which is shown in
the photo at the right. All traffic
now can safely cross through
the intersection.
AyresAssociates.com
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