State denied request for safety upgrades
A second traffic death at what some say is a deadly crosswalk has Taylor officials looking to make the roadway safer, but the state last month turned down a request for area improvements, officials said.
In the latest tragedy, Ramona Pavlas, 59, was killed Thursday when an oncoming vehicle struck her motorized mobility scooter as it moved through the crosswalk in the 3700 block of North Main Street, police said.
In September, a 66-year-old man died in the same crosswalk when he was hit by an auto.
Employees who work in the area, which is close to Walmart and several other stores including eateries, said people frequently dash across the busy lanes, putting their safety at risk.
The city, however, has been vigilant in its attempt to improve pedestrian traffic along the roadway, which is also Texas 95, according to a city spokesman.
“After the last accident (in September), we have been working to get a sidewalk installed to connect Main Street Commons to the protected crosswalk at (Texas) 95 and Carlos G. Parker (Boulevard),” said Daniel Seguin, Taylor’s director of communications.
“In the fall, the (City) Council identified it as a top priority project coming into 2025.”
According to Seguin, the city submitted a request for a Texas Department of Transportation Highway Safety Improvement Project, but received a denial of the award a couple of weeks ago.
“We are regrouping in the budget and (Capital Improvements Project) process to identify funding for the sidewalk,” Seguin said. “We recognize that, for every day there is no sidewalk for those residents, more risk their lives to fulfill their basic needs. We encourage those residents to reach out to (Capital Area Rural Transportation System) in the meantime to meet their local transportation needs.”
Seguin said CARTS NOW provides curb-tocurb services 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday anywhere in Taylor.
Residents who wish to use CARTS NOW can call 512-478-7433 or go to RideCARTS.com.
In the latest tragedy, police at 4:03 p.m.
Thursday were dispatched to the scene of
the accident. According to a statement issued by the Taylor Police Department, a preliminary investigation revealed a black 2013 Subaru entered the intersection “when it failed to yield right of way and struck Pavlas.”
Pavlas was riding her motorized mobility scooter east in the crosswalk when the accident occurred. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified the driver of the Subaru as a 22-year-old Jarrell man.
An investigation is continuing, officers said.
While this marks the first traffic death of the year for Taylor, it is the second fatal mishap to occur in that crosswalk in nine months.
On Sept. 9, pedestrian Gary Dale Krause was killed by a vehicle in the 3700 block of North Main Street. According to reports, Krause used the same crosswalk when he was struck by an oncoming 2014 black Dodge driven by a 19-year-old Houston man.
That death marked the second traffic fatality of 2024, investigators said.
