Marion County commissioners raise speed limits on several roadways, including Highway 318 in Citra

Marion County commissioners have approved speed limit increases on multiple roadways across the county, including along East Highway 318 in Citra — and at least one resident who lives nearby is not happy about it.Mary Ann Rondinella lives near Highway 318 and says a portion of the road increasing from 35 mph to 45 mph worries her, particularly because of a school bus stop along the route and the volume of heavy truck traffic passing through daily.“So that’s my concern,” Rondinella said. “Are heavy trucks going to be able to slow and stop safely if a school bus and a line of cars are stopped there?”Former federal highway official calls changes a safety riskRondinella is not just a concerned neighbor. She previously worked with the Federal Highway Administration and says the decision goes against what traffic engineers are trained to prioritize.“Kind of flies in the face of what most highway engineers are taught, which is that speed kills — especially when you have a roadway that is not