Vision Zero Hillsborough Walk of Silence will honor Tampa teen killed crossing Busch Boulevard

When the first Vision Zero Hillsborough workshop convened last November, the emotional impact of 17-year-old Alexis Miranda's death, just one year prior on Busch Boulevard in Tampa, was palpable. The Chamberlain High School student -- remembered for her vibrant personality and commitment to her future -- was struck by a vehicle while crossing the roadway on her way to school on the morning of Oct. 6, 2015. Here is a link to a story about her death that appeared in the Tampa Bay Times.

At the core of the Vision Zero mission -- which envisions and demands a future with zero traffic fatalities on Hillsborough County streets -- is the conviction that every pedestrian traffic death is wholly preventable. The coalition focuses on improving design practices, strengthening awareness and education, and promoting mindful traffic behaviors so that all road users will have the chance that Miranda never got: to make it to their destination alive.

On the two-year anniversary of Miranda's death, Vision Zero Hillsborough will honor her memory with A Walk of Silence, the first organized event since the completion of the coalition's multi-track Action Plan this summer. A Walk of Silence attendees will gather on October 6 at 7 a.m. for welcoming comments at 822 W. Linebaugh Ave., in the parking lot of the Tampa First Seventh Day Adventist church. The walk will commence at 7:30 a.m., passing Chamberlain High School in a one-mile total loop along North Boulevard and Busch Boulevard.

No speaking is permitted during the walk, but posters will be provided for participants. If possible, attendees are encouraged to wear white shoes. 

Alexis Miranda is one among far too many pedestrian lives lost on Hillsborough County's busiest arterials. Two high school students who have not been forgotten, Shenika Davis and Norma Velasquez-Cabrera -- both 15 years old and attending Middleton High School -- were killed crossing Hillsborough Avenue in 2011 and 2014. Currently, Hillsborough County ranks #7 on Smart Growth America's Dangerous by Design report of the nation's most deadly roadways for pedestrians.

You can join the Vision Zero coalition and the Hillsborough MPO in memorializing Alexis Miranda and others lost to traffic violence on Oct. 6 as Hillsborough County takes its first actionable steps toward a future of fatality-free roadways.