Residents Hope to Curb Speeding on FishHawk Crossing Boulevard

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Fed up with cars speeding down FishHawk Crossing Boulevard, FishHawk Ranch resident Jim Shriner is appealing to County Commissioner Al Higginbotham.

Shriner, who lives on FishHawk Crossing Boulevard, said he wants to put a stop to the speeding along the road before a pedestrian death occurs.

"It's amazing that we haven't already had a tragedy," said Shriner.

The speed limit on the road is 25 mph, but Shriner said drivers rarely heed the speed limit signs.

At Shriner's request, the county installed electronic signs notifying drivers of their speed and warning them to slow down. However, the county removed the electronic signs about eight weeks ago, telling Shriner the signs have limited effectiveness once they've been up for more than a year.

Now Shriner has set up a meeting with County Commissioner Al Higginbotham at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 29, to discuss his and other residents' concerns about speeding. The meeting will be held in Higginbotham's office on the second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in Tampa, and the public is welcome.

"I'm hoping a lot of residents will turn out for the meeting to air their concerns," said Shriner. "I'd love to have 20 people there."

Shriner said he plans to make two requests of the commissioner: He wants the electronic signs re-installed, and he wants the county to conduct an engineering study to explore the possibility of installing speed humps.

Due to the expense, Hillsborough County has suspended its speed hump program. But Shriner would like the FishHawk Community Development District to pick up the cost of installing speed humps.

"We're the only street coming into the subdivision that doesn't have speed humps," said Shriner. "As a result, 30 to 40 percent of the cars are going over 35 mph along the road."

Shriner's home is one of 24 that front FishHawk Crossing Boulevard, and he said he's had close calls with speeding cars while mowing his lawn.

"My home sits only 18 feet from the roadway," he said. "The traffic is really bad and getting worse. We've had four accidents along the road in the past five years, two of which resulted in the roadway collapsing and having to be rebuilt."

In one case, a vehicle was traveling at an estimated 50 mph when it struck a fire hydrant and rolled into a wooded area that is now occupied by homes. As a result, the road flooded, opening up a 20-foot-wide sinkhole.

Shriner said the proximity of Park Square makes the situation all the more dangerous. "We have kids and people walking their dogs crossing this road," he said. "Someone's going to get hit."

Shriner said a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy's presence along the road is only a temporary deterrent.

"They pull a few people over, but they can't be there all the time," said Shriner. "As soon as they're gone, people speed up again."

He noted that it wouldn't cost the county anything to re-install the electronic signs since the county already owns them. Speed humps, he said, would be relatively inexpensive because only two or three humps would be needed on each side of the road.

"I've heard arguments that they can't do it because it would slow down emergency vehicles," said Shriner. "But they have speed humps on Dorman Road, and that's where the fire station is."

To rally support for his proposal, Shriner has been passing fliers throughout his neighborhood.

"We really need a show of force on Tuesday," he said. "If you can't attend the meeting, then please email County Commissioner Al Higginbotham and let him know your concerns."