MELBOURNE, Fla. -- "I have seen people go around wheelchairs rather than slow down," Diane Murray said. "It's really heartbreaking."
- Melbourne resident wants drivers to slow down
- Diane Murray says she see drivers go around wheelchairs, pedestrians
- Murray would like to see the speed limit lowered, signage
Murray said that she cringes watching people cross the street on US-192 near her house in downtown Melbourne, especially older neighbors.
"We have an elderly community with density here at Trinity Towers, and they are often on walkers, crossing the street in a wheelchair, sometimes not electric," she said.
Murray is concerned because on the stretch of US-192, known as Strawbridge Avenue there are really not many options to cross the street besides the crosswalk located near City Hall.
That's the main issue she would like addressed.
"I would like to see pedestrian bridges, ideally," she said.
However, Murray knows there are more problems than just elderly crossing the street here.
"I'd like to see signage, I'd like to see a lower speed limit because people drive 15 miles over the speed limit we have here anyway," she said.
Spectrum News 13 spoke with the deputy city manager of the City of Melbourne. She spoke of several courses of action the City would consider moving forward.
Those could include:
- Safety courses at Trinity Towers for the elderly
- Instructing them where to cross the street
- Potential additional signage for crossing areas
She also told me they would contact the Melbourne Police Department for additional patrols to catch speeders.
Change to US-192 however would fall in the hands of the Florida Department of Transportation. The agency told me that changes are being considered right now for that stretch of road; even lowering speeds are on the table, but nothing concrete just yet.
As for Murray, she’s looking forward to a day when downtown Melbourne returns to more peaceful roots.
"I'd like to see people prioritized," she said. "Quality of life is about safety first and taking care of people."