Audobon Park residents call for ‘safety improvements’ after pedestrian struck along Corrine Drive

ORLANDO, Fla. — Residents of Audobon Park in Orlando are renewing calls for safety improvements after a woman was hit by a car while crossing Corrine Drive.

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The Orlando Police Department said the crash happened Monday as a pedestrian was crossing near Chapel Drive and Corrine Drive.

OPD hasn’t released the name of the person hit but said the woman was taken to the hospital in critical and unstable condition.

Witnesses told Channel 9 the woman didn’t appear to be using the designated pedestrian crosswalk.

But some residents told Channel 9 there aren’t enough places to cross safely in the area, and they believe it’s time to speed up safety plans that were already in the works.

According to the city of Orlando, the last major improvements to Corrine Drive happened in the 1980s.

That was long before East End Market, several coffee shops and other businesses set up shop along Corrine Drive.

Some residents told Channel 9 that part of the problem is that the Audobon Park community has changed, but Corrine Drive has not.

According to the City of Orlando, Corrine Drive was originally designed to move heavy equipment from a nearby naval training center to us 17-92.

That need has long been gone, but the road remains largely unchanged.

A Metro Plan Orlando study found that in the years since, speeding has become a major issue, with 75 percent of traffic on Corrine Drive traveling above the 35-mph speed limit.

After the recent accident, some residents said they want the city to speed up safety improvements, including adding more pedestrian crossings to the road.

“Well, there are only really two safe places to cross, and they’re pretty far apart,” said Audobon Park resident Kimberly Slinger, “We really need some safety now for people investing in this community.”

On Wednesday, Channel 9 watched pedestrians crossed Corrine Drive at places other than the designated intersection.

Residents say given the pedestrian traffic in the area, there are not enough safe crossways.

Audubon Park Garden District’s Executive Director Jennifer Marvel told Channel 9 that part of the problem is due to the community’s success, which has seen exponential commercial growth.

“There’s this tension between the speed of the road, the width of the lanes, and the number of people that are out here,” said Marvel.

Marvel said her first meeting about improving safety on Corrine Drive was in 2010, but the area is now closer than ever to real improvements.

The City of Orlando took over ownership of the road in 2022 and has already implemented a signalized pedestrian crosswalk.

In September of last year, the city also selected Kimley Horn to design a fix for the road that would help slow down traffic.

The city estimates this will cost at least $15 million but a better estimate will be produced once Kimley Horn finishes their design.

“Future plans include wider sidewalks, raised intersections, speed reductions and more mid-block signalized crossings, which will begin construction in 2026,” said a City Spokesperson.

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