Jacksonville Zoo Calls for Improved Traffic Safety After Crashes

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The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens is urging local officials to take action to improve traffic safety measures on Zoo Parkway after two separate incidents in the past week where school buses transporting children were involved in collisions with trucks during field trips to the zoo.

Why it matters

The zoo is a popular destination for school field trips, and these accidents have raised concerns about the safety of the roads leading to and from the facility, especially during peak times when large numbers of buses and other vehicles are present.

The details

In the first incident, a school bus carrying 12 young children collided with a truck on Zoo Parkway, resulting in minor injuries. Just six days later, another school bus was involved in an accident with a truck on the same road. While no serious injuries were reported, the zoo is now calling for urgent action to address the traffic safety issues in the area.

• On April 5, 2026, a school bus carrying 12 children collided with a truck on Zoo Parkway.
• On April 11, 2026, another school bus was involved in an accident with a truck on Zoo Parkway.

What’s next

The zoo is calling on local officials to review the traffic patterns and road conditions around the facility and implement safety improvements, such as increased signage, speed limits, and traffic calming measures, to prevent future accidents.