SEMINOLE, Fla. — At the Pinellas Trail crossing, trail users can’t see the sign that is designed to help them safely cross the road, which is causing concern.

“People will hit the button and then just take off,” said St. Petersburg resident Dre Sanchez. “Our rule of thumb is to wait until everybody stops.”

Dre and his mom, Suzanne, spend their lunch together every day, but the crossing in Seminole across 86th Avenue west of 113th Street has an issue that could lead to a big safety problem.

While approaching the crossing, the “push to cross” button is not clearly visible. 

When Bay News 9’s Real Time Traffic Expert Chuck Henson took a look at the crosswalk button issue, was he was unable to see it until he was right up to the crossing.

“I could maybe just think it may be just a traffic sign, and not necessarily a sign to press as a biker to get people to stop,” said Suzanne. "Because it’s flush to the trail instead of facing the bikers on the trail."

Very few of the bikers pressed the button at all. When doing so engages the amber flashing beacons, alerting drivers.

This brought up another issue: Blowing through the stop signs placed before the crossing, which is difficult when bicycles and cars must share the road.

“Now issues are not bikers. It’s bikers sharing the road with drivers,” said Dre.  Drivers sharing the road with their cell phones and all that. It’s part of it now. I wish it was preventable.”

The combination of issues here: The sign not in the direct view of cyclists and the people on bicycles who ride past the stop sign — could easily create a situation where someone gets hit by a car.

Cyclists can be issued a ticket for running the stop signs where the trail crosses a road.

And the amber flashing beacons are there to give people an even greater layer of protection. Not using them puts people in unnecessary danger.