Some residents in Pinellas County say a busy intersection is too dangerous to cross.

What You Need To Know

  • Some pedestrians say they are concerned about crossing 54th Avenue N and Park Street in Pinellas County

  • Their concern is drivers turning right from 54th Avenue onto Park Street who do not stop at the red light first

  • FDOT officials say they will have their operations teams inspect the intersection to see if any changes should be made

Paul Vaitkus takes daily walks along Park Street and 54th Avenue N, an area with a lot of pedestrians due to the number of apartments, condos and shopping centers nearby.

But Vaitkus said he always thinks twice before crossing the intersection.

“It’s dangerous," he said. "We all use the word dangerous all of the time."

He said his family and neighbors constantly worry that drivers will not see them in the crosswalk.

“They’ll refuse to walk across this intersection because of the fear,” Vaitkus said. “They actually will drive across the street to our condo building to the Publix, which is a distance of only 300 yards or so, because they won’t cross.”

He said the main concern is drivers turning right from 54th Avenue onto Park Street who do not stop at the red light first.

“They’ll blow through the stoplight and into the crosswalk, and not even slow down or stop,” Vaitkus said.

It is an issue that can be seen at many intersections, where drivers end up in the crosswalk, trying to look out for traffic instead of pedestrians.

“I’ve come very close where they brush past me and I can actually whack the vehicle as they pass by,” Vaitkus said.

The intersection does have signals for pedestrians and a right turn signal for drivers. Plus, there are signs warning drivers to watch out for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

But Vaitkus said he would like to see a change made there for safety, possibly a flashing light like drivers see on other parts of 54th Avenue N.

“So, when the pedestrian activates the signal, a flashing light starts saying pedestrian, pedestrian, pedestrian,” Vaitkus said.

Spectrum News reached out to both Pinellas County and the Florida Department of Transportation about the safety concerns at the intersection.

Pinellas officials say they haven’t received any specific complaints about the intersection, but did acknowledge this type of problem can be a common issue at crosswalks in the county.

FDOT officials said they will have their operations teams inspect the intersection to see if any changes should be made.