JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents in Jacksonville’s Oceanway neighborhood are calling for traffic changes after an 11th-grade student at First Coast High School was hit by a car Thursday morning.
The student is expected to be OK, according to information provided to News4JAX.
Amy Elliott, who lives near the school, said she and her daughter saw the student sitting in the street after the crash.
“It was frightening,” Elliott said. “My daughter and I both got chills right away.”
Elliott said drivers often move through the area while students are crossing the street, or pressure them to hurry.
“There are cars that are constantly going through it anyway or coming up on the kids while they’re hurrying them along,” she said. “It’s frustrating, very frustrating.”
The area has a pedestrian-activated traffic beacon, but Elliott said drivers do not always slow down when students press the button.
Johnetta Andres, who moved to the area about a year ago, said traffic is especially heavy near the shopping center, Publix and a newly opened Chick-fil-A.
Andres said she believes the area needs another traffic light.
“I know we have one red light, but another red light needs to be here right in front of the gas station,” she said.
She also urged drivers to slow down as they approach the school.
“It’s great that the school is there, but everybody just needs to slow down so that we’re all safe,” Andres said. “The kids are safe, we’re safe.”
Elliott said drivers should be willing to wait a few seconds for students to cross the street.
“Think about your own children or your own grandchildren,” she said. “Safety should always be first. A couple of seconds waiting for a child to cross the street should happen. We should not be rushing children.”
News4JAX reached out to the city of Jacksonville, Duval County Public Schools and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for information about possible improvements to traffic conditions outside the school. We will update with responses when we get them.
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