PINE HILLS, Fla. – Forty-five people have been hit by a car along a stretch of Silver Star Road between Good Homes Road and Mercy Drive over the past five years.

So far this year, six people have already been struck along that same stretch. Now, walkers in the area are asking for more safety measures to be put in place.

Diana Durrant, who lives in Pine Hills and walks down Silver Star Road daily, said she tries to avoid crossing the roadway whenever possible.

“It looks like the car is far away, but it looks like they speed up as they see people going across,” Durrant said.

She explained that poor lighting and worn-down crosswalks make the area especially dangerous.

“I will wait at the crosswalk, and I’ll wait till it goes dead before I cross,” she added.

One of the most recent incidents involved a 73-year-old man who was killed last month.

Florida Highway Patrol said the victim was not in a marked crosswalk at the time, which is something drivers in the area say they see often.

“I take that road to and from work, so yeah. I see people crossing with or without something or a crosswalk,” said Christopher Holbrook, who also lives in Pine Hills.

“If you go downtown, you have those white lines that tell you to cross here. You can’t tell whether there is a crosswalk (on Silver Star Road),” said Durrant.

To address these safety concerns, FDOT is planning two projects that include installing new crosswalks, improving lighting, and adding R-CUT intersections — allowing for safer diagonal crossings and eliminating dangerous U-turns.

When asked if those improvements will help, Durrant said, “Extremely, extremely. Especially the daycare. Evans — I think those kids get it — but the daycare, especially, because I have a little one and I have to bring her to daycare.”

Residents also hope to see more streetlights installed to help with nighttime travel, and many walkers say they would like to see barriers or guardrails added near sidewalks for added protection.

To learn more about the project, click the links below:

Improvements Map 1

Improvements Map 2