Safety Concerns Mount for Westchase Road

has left one man hospitalized, in a coma, and a community asking why something hadn't been done to improve safety at the intersection before.

among Westchase residents who say that portion of Countryway Boulevard is unsafe for pedestrians and motorists. Speed bumps, traffic lights, stop signs and more enforcement of speed limits were all suggestions for making the road safer.

Adding safety measures to roads is often a community effort.

"Anyone can make a request for a traffic signal," said Steve Valdez, Hillsborough County Public Works spokesman.

Once the request is made, the county studies traffic volume, volume of turning movements and about 3 to 5 years of crash history, Valdez said. Once the study is complete, all the factors are taken into consideration to determine what, if any, traffic modifications need to be made at the site.

But Valdez cautions that just because a traffic signal is installed, doesn't make an intersection any safer necessarily.

"Traffic devices are only as good as the pedestrians and motorist that obey them," he said. "There's nothing saying if we had a traffic signal there that the person wouldn't have run that."

A look at the most heavily traveled roads in Westchase shows that Countryway Boulevard and Linebaugh Avenue rank among the highest for traffic accidents.

There have been 64 traffic accidents associated with the Countryway Boulevard  and Linebaugh Avenue intersection since January 2010, ranking it the second highest intersection in the community for accidents after Sheldon and Linebaugh, which had 119 traffic accidents in that same timeframe, and Montague and Linebaugh Avenue, which had 52 traffic accidents since the beginning of 2010.

The most recent fatal accident was last summer when a 31-year-old motorist was killed at the intersection of Sheldon and Linebaugh after a collision.

If a county resident feels more traffic safety measures need to be taken at a location, they can make a recommendation by calling Hillsborough County Public Works Traffic Services at 813-272-5912 or by sending an email at this link.