Is Bayshore Boulevard Safe?

Is Bayshore Boulevard safe?

That's what the Tampa Bay Times is asking following two high-profile incidents on the idyllic South Tampa roadway that left a college student dead and a high school student seriously injured.

First, 19-year-old Michael Agana and into the Hillsborough River on May 11. The Plant High graduate and University of South Florida student four days later, and the accident is still under inestigation.

Then last week, a 17-year-old Robinson High School cross-country runner was thrown by a passing motorist on Bayshore. Three teens were arrested and charged in the incident, which left Noah Grant with a fractured bone and two cuts on his eye.

In its June 3 article, the Times mentions the 250 or so reports involving the roadway written by Tampa Police — "not a high number for a busy stretch of road," the paper notes — and chronicles some other high profile incidents and the recent efforts to make Bayshore safer.

Randy Burns, bar manager at Four Green Fields, told the Times the recent headlines haven't deterred anyone he knows from jogging on Bayshore.

"It's still safe," Burns told the paper. "And it's one of the nicest attractions Tampa has to offer."

What do you think? Is Bayshore Boulevard safe? Sound off in the comments section below.