PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — After a crash involving a St. Pete High School student and a car, the city of St. Pete is working to improve crosswalk safety.
A student at St. Pete High School was hit by a car while using a crosswalk on 9th Avenue North back in May.
The student is recovering, but Deirdre Kurnett said it was difficult to see.
"There was debris on the ground, the driver's car was stopped in the street over there, and you could see a massive dent of shattered windshield…it was terrible," said Kurnett.
WATCH: St. Pete crosswalks get safety upgrades ahead of school year
Kurnett and her neighbors are pushing for crosswalk safety improvements in the city, especially near schools.
"There's been a lot of discussion for years about pedestrian and traffic safety," said Kurnett.
After months of advocating, some improvements are coming to the intersections at 25th and 26th Streets North and 9th Avenue North.
"We had some concerns that visibility wasn’t what it could be, so we opted to upgrade the devices," said Cheryl Stacks, the Transportation Manager with the City of St. Pete.
Stacks said the crosswalks were made brighter, new signage was installed, and flashing lights were doubled at the intersections.
"We do have a lot of students here at St. Pete High that are using these crosswalks on a daily basis, accessing the transit that’s on 9th Avenue North, so it's important for them to be able to cross the street and get to school safely," said Stacks.
Homeowners said even with these safety improvements, you still need to be careful and look both ways before pressing the button to cross.
"People just blast through it even with the lights, it’s like taking your life into your own hands," said Kurnett.
Stacks said other crosswalks in St. Pete are getting more attention, and Kurnett said she hopes the changes make a difference.
"The more that we could provide safety and traffic calming strategies, everyone wins in my opinion," said Kurnett.
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