PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — City of Gulfport is working to make it safer for people who walk in the area, including along the new Discover Gulfport walking trails.
Athens Gibson works at Gulfport Brewery and says the new Discover Gulfport walking trail, which opened in November, is a great addition.
WATCH: Safety improvements coming to Gulfport trail
"I'm liking the new trail in the area, we have a very large run club that we host every Tuesday night and they use it a lot," said Gibson.
But he said more needs to be done to improve safety along the trail…
"That’s what we need, too many people get hurt just by missed signage and missed things," said Gibson.
But the trail will soon get a facelift.
The City of Gulfport secured funding from the AARP Community Challenge Flagship Grant to make some improvements, like more signage and QR codes to help with navigation.
"With the number of accidents or incident that happen, it needs to be done," said Gibson.
A recent report called Dangerous by Design conducted by Smart Growth America, ranks the Tampa Bay Area as eighth in the nation for pedestrian deaths.
Chanel Fernandez, who works at a local boutique, said she thinks the new signage will help improve safety.
"I definitely think it would encourage me to get out more and feel safer when I do," said Fernandez.
She’s also excited about handrails being installed along the trail route to help seniors navigate the area.
"Any way that we could be helping them, supporting them and getting them to travel easier and more accessible to them is definitely a bonus," said Fernandez.
Not only are people excited about the safety coming to the trail but business owners said they are also looking forward to more foot traffic coming to the area.
Both Fernandez and Gibson said they are looking forward to seeing more people on the trail when the weather cools off.
"Definitely more foot traffic, we would love to see more action and things throughout the day," said Fernandez.
"I think it’ll drive foot traffic, drive people down here, drive businesses," said Gibson.
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