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South Phoenix residents call for more crosswalks year after pedestrian death

People say Tanya Karim’s death could have been prevented if there were crosswalks to make it easier for drivers to see pedestrians.

PHOENIX — It’s been one year since a Valley woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver at 20th Street and Broadway Road. 

Now the community is calling for the city to put in more crosswalks across south Phoenix.

People in attendance at a Monday vigil say Tanya Karim’s death could have been prevented if there were crosswalks to make it easier for drivers to see pedestrians. 

The 51-year-old was killed last year while crossing 20th Street and Broadway Road. The driver still hasn’t been caught.

The woman who organized the vigil, Dana Burns, is also calling attention to four streets where they want the city to add crosswalks: 20th Street and Broadway, Southern and Montezuma, 32nd Street & Southern, and Seventh Street and Weir.

Burns says they chose these locations based on accident data. Some are in areas where kids walk to go to school. 

She says city council member Carlos Garcia suggested they fundraise the money for the crosswalks themselves, but they plan on asking the city for the money at Thursday’s city council meeting.

We reached out to the city, and a spokesperson says it is evaluating each of the four locations. 

Adding, “The city of Phoenix is dedicated to improving safety on our roadways whenever and wherever possible. When the Street Transportation Department receives requests for crosswalks, HAWK pedestrian crossing signals, traffic signals, etc., we follow a process to thoroughly investigate the intersection and to identify if there is an engineering option to improve safety, and if so, what the unique solution may be. The department follows a warrant evaluation and safety prioritization framework to identify which projects are funded each year.”

However, Burns says they have been asking for the crosswalks for years.

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