Residents urge city to fix dangerous Commonwealth crosswalk after December crash

Several residents of the Copper Ridge neighborhood pressed the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Spring Hill on the safety of a crosswalk on Commonwealth that leads to the Longview Recreation Center and a nearby elementary school, saying the crossing remains hazardous after a December crash that left a mother and child badly injured.

Karen Luff, a Copper Ridge resident, told the board during the public-comment period that she had walked her children to school for years but stopped nearly two years ago because of “too many close calls.” She asked the city to make the crosswalk more visible and said her “dream” would be a push-button light that activates only when someone is crossing. “I know I can’t fix the way people drive, but what I’m hoping to do is maybe make that crosswalk a little bit more visible,” Luff said.

Jenny Fasholtz, who said she also lives on Allerton Way and walks her son to school four times a day, described repeated near-misses, including a family member struck by a side mirror. “We’ve been begging for years for there to be something done,” Fasholtz said. She asked the board to move the school-zone sign farther back, saying the school zone starts too close to the crosswalk so drivers are not slowing by the time they reach it.

Deborah Boyle, another resident, said she and her husband walk regularly and have seen “too many near misses.” Boyle said safer crossings would let kids use the rec center and participate in community activities without putting families at risk.

Board members acknowledged the speakers. Alderman Gavigan thanked Copper Ridge residents for attending and said pedestrian traffic on Commonwealth had increased beyond expectations, particularly during summer and early evenings when it gets dark. “When Commonwealth was built, I don’t know if anybody in the city really predicted the amount of volume with cars, but also just the pedestrian traffic,” Gavigan said, adding he would support steps such as more lighting or other signals to alert drivers and pedestrians.

No formal action was taken during the meeting’s public-comment period. The subject was raised during public comment and acknowledged by aldermen; staff or council did not announce a specific follow-up item or vote at the meeting.

Residents asked for (1) a push-button-activated flashing light or other on-demand warning system for pedestrians, (2) relocation of the start of the school-zone signage, and (3) additional lighting or other signals to increase driver awareness. The speakers said they had previously contacted police, the county sheriff’s office, and the school but had not seen action prior to the December crash.

The board’s discussion acknowledged the volume of pedestrian traffic on Commonwealth and expressed support for exploring solutions. The meeting record does not show a staff directive, budget allocation, or formal referral created during this session.

The public-comment remarks and the board’s acknowledgements close with an invitation from residents for city officials and families to walk the crossing to see conditions firsthand; no timeline or next steps were declared in the meeting minutes.