Orange County leaders call for change after teen hit, killed while walking to school
After a 16-year-old girl was fatally struck while walking to Oak Ridge High School, Orange County leaders are pushing for a reduced speed zone and traffic cameras near the campus.
Commissioner Mayra Uribe is urging immediate action, calling the current 45 mph limit unsafe and advocating for a school zone to prevent future tragedies.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County leaders are calling for change after a 16-year-old girl was killed Monday while walking to Oak Ridge High School.
What we know
The speed limit outside Oak Ridge High School is 45 miles per hour. There isn't a school speed zone placing the limit at 15 or 20 miles an hour the way you'd see outside elementary or middle schools.
The Florida Department of Transportation says school speed zones placed at high schools have to be done on a case-by-case basis and justified by an engineering study.
District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe, who happens to be an alumnus of Oak Ridge High School, wants a speed zone established at that school. She also wants traffic cameras installed there that would automatically catch people driving over the speed limit near the school.
What we don't know
The Florida Highway Patrol has not said yet whether speed was a factor in the crash.
We also don't know whether there has been any major push in the past to classify Oak Ridge Road as a school speed zone, though Commissioner Mayra Uribe says residents have complained about the road being unsafe.
What they're saying
"That's too fast for lots of kids coming out of the school," said Penny Brecker, who lives near the school. Jose Rosario, who also lives nearby, seconded that. "They do run fast through here," he said.
Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe says what happened was a tragedy that she wants to make sure never happens again. She also believes there have probably been many close calls that preceded the deadly crash. She wants a school speed zone established and traffic enforcement cameras installed.
"I am reaching out to Assistant Secretary with DOT and saying we need this to happen yesterday," said Commissioner Mayra Uribe. So that's my goal. And I mean, that's not going to bring back, you know, the tragedy that we went through and the grief that this community is going on, but it will start having some more accountability."
What's next
FDOT told FOX 35, the County would be the ones to plan, fund, and carry out an engineering study establishing a school zone, since it's their road.
Commissioner Uribe says she wants that process started right away. She and the other County Commissioners are also finalizing their lists of where they want traffic cameras installed.
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The Source
FOX 35 reporter Marie Edinger covered the story, highlighting Commissioner Mayra Uribe's push for a reduced speed zone and traffic cameras near Oak Ridge High School following the death of a 16-year-old student.
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