Senator Perry responds to requests for safety improvements on state roads
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
In a January 21 letter addressed to the Gator Community, State Senator Keith Perry acknowledged the recent tragic deaths of pedestrians near the university and said, “As Vice Chairman of the Florida Senate Committee on Transportation, I will work to restore safety and prioritize viable solutions on this matter.”
However, he also said “there is still a lot of unknown in regards to the nature of the crash” and that he was “working closely with the Florida Department of Transportation, law enforcement officers, and city officials to thoroughly investigate the accident and determine what safety measures need to be in place.”
The Gainesville City Commission discussed the incidents in their January 21 meeting and recommended a number of proposed changes that included closing several blocks of NW 17th St where it intersects with W. University Ave. The discussion did not include any information about the investigations into the causes of the recent pedestrian deaths.
The full letter is below:
Why not build a pedestrian bridge over that intersection? It would get people off the road and out of the way of any vehicles.
Better idea…take away the vehicles from college students who are too pre-occupied with their own lives to worry about their surroundings.
Another traffic fatality on University Ave today, TV 20 already skewing the real accident by stating “ANOTHER accident on University Ave involving a pedestrian.” Thank you Paige Beck for your truthful reporting.