No sidewalk near elementary school bus stop in Oceanway causes concern

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Parents in Oceanway said they don’t feel safe letting their children walk to the school bus stop.

Parents are concerned because there isn’t a sidewalk at the corner of the school bus stop located at Duval Station Road and Majestic Court.

Nekeeya and Raymond Brewster said they drive their 7-year-old daughter to the stop and pick her up.
"I do not feel safe sending her to the bus stop alone," Brewster said.

The sidewalk suddenly stops, and kids are either forced to cross the road where’s there’s no crosswalk to get to the sidewalk or walk in the drainage ditch right along the road.

“I definitely don’t want her to be in a situation where she has to get off the bus and walk down the street and get hit by a car because there’s not an accessible sidewalk,” Brewster said.

While Action News Jax was at the school bus stop, Patricia Vickers-Syslo, who lives across the street from the school bus stop, came over to voice her concerns.

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“For the safety of our students we need sidewalks,” Vickers-Syslo said. “It’s not safe for anyone. Not just kids.”

The Brewster's filed a complaint with the City of Jacksonville and asked for a sidewalk to be installed.
The City denied the request and said the area "does not meet the criteria for a [sic] new sidewalk at this time per the Pedestrian Safety Improvement plan."

“It’s definitely disheartening,” Mr. Brewster said. “I don’t want anybody to get hurt or killed before they say, ‘that is a safety issue.’”

The Brewster’s reached out to Action News Jax for help.

“I fear not only for her safety but any other child’s safety as well,” Brewster said.

Action News Jax reached out to the City to learn about the criteria that’s used to determine whether an area needs a sidewalk. We also asked if the city would consider sending out an employee to verify if it’s safe for children. As soon as we hear back, we’ll keep you updated.

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