A crossing guard outside Oceanway Middle School in Jacksonville’s Northside neighborhood says she has been nearly hit by drivers four separate times while trying to get students safely across Oceanway Avenue at its intersection with Magnolia Avenue. Phyllis Seligman, who has volunteered at the crossing for two years, says the danger has become routine, not rare.
Seligman told First Coast News that drivers have yelled and cursed at her, tried to hit her, and thrown objects at her while she works the crossing. In one incident described to the outlet, a car nearly hit a child who ran across the road before Seligman could step into the street to block traffic. The posted speed limit on Oceanway Avenue is 30 miles per hour, according to the same report.
Jaclyn Baker, who has operated her business, Andy’s Attic, across from the school for 10 years, says drivers routinely travel well above that posted limit. She has suggested adding more speed bumps near the school to force cars to slow down, per the outlet’s reporting. Baker says her staff have had to walk customers across the street themselves and stop traffic to keep them from being struck.
A Crosswalk Signal That May Not Be Working
Part of the problem, according to Seligman, is a pedestrian crossing signal at Oceanway Avenue and Magnolia Avenue that did not appear to activate when she pressed the button. The crossing has a rapid rectangular flashing beacon designed to flash for about a minute once triggered. The City of Jacksonville said it had not received any reports about the crossing through its 630-CITY customer service system before the outlet’s inquiry, and the city’s Traffic Engineering Division maintains vehicular and pedestrian traffic control devices on city-owned roads, directing residents to file formal complaints through that same 630-CITY line or the MyJax portal, per Jacksonville’s Traffic Engineering Division…