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Neighbors on Drew Street demand change to improve safety

DTBF Drew Street Clearwater.png
Posted at 7:40 AM, Apr 19, 2023
and last updated 2023-04-19 07:40:22-04

CLEARWATER, Fla. — People who live off Drew Street in Clearwater are voicing safety concerns and pushing for changes.

It's a narrow four-lane road with a speed limit of 40 miles per hour. Neighbors say drivers speed down this road every day, making for a really dangerous situation.

Neighbors say they want to see some changes before more people get hurt.

“The speed is too much, the lanes are narrow, people are racing," William Riley. who lives on Drew Street said.

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Drivers speeding, narrow lanes, and a lack of enforcement are what neighbors call a recipe for disaster. 

“I see it progressively more dangerous to use Drew Street. You have to be careful anywhere in Pinellas County, but this is beyond being careful,” Peggy Page said.

Page lives on the corner of Drew Street and said every day it's a struggle to leave her house and turn out onto the street.

In addition to concerns behind the wheel, neighbors say they don’t even feel safe walking on the sidewalk. They said it's because of speeders and the sidewalk being too close to the road.

“Truthfully, I don’t go much closer to Drew than here because I am so scared of what could happen,” Page said.

She showed ABC Action News a few memorials along Drew Street. Page said that is a daily reminder of how dangerous the road can be.

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That is why a group of neighbors put out signs along the road to push for changes.

The City of Clearwater sent a letter to the state in support of a lane repurposing project on Drew Street. The city says it's designed to improve safety, and they look forward to working with the Florida Department of Transportation on the project.

Council Letter Re FDOT Drew St Lane Repurposing 230404 by ABC Action News on Scribd