Dangerous by Design: Jacksonville #4 in Pedestrian Fatalities, 2000 - 2009

[Dashing Dan]

http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign/

Transportation for America has released its 2011 "Dangerous by Design" report.  

The Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) measures the pedestrian fatality rate for a Metropolitan Area against the percentage of Metropolitan Area residents who walk to work.  

The Metropolitan Areas with the highest PDI scores are listed below.

Rank    Metropolitan Area    2007-08 Pedestrian

Danger Index
1    Orlando-Kissimmee, FL    221.5
2    Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL    205.5
3    Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL    181.2
4    Jacksonville, FL    157.4
5    Memphis, TN-MS-AR    137.7
6    Raleigh-Cary, NC    128.6
7    Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN    114.8
8    Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX    112.4
8    Birmingham-Hoover, AL    110.0
10    Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA    108.3

All four of the Top 10 are in Florida.  

[tufsu1]

the same 4 Florida cities have topped this list for years...and the interesting thing is the state's sidewalk requirements are far more stringent than most other states....proving that the majority of the problem lies in the design of the built environment (urban form)

[Dashing Dan]

This link below is to a map that shows where pedestrians are being killed.

http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/map/

In the box above the map, enter "Jacksonville Florida," then zoom in and scroll around. 

The map shows that urban core neighborhoods are much safer than Beach Blvd., Arlington Expy, Blanding Blvd, etc.

Time for Complete Streets!

[Dashing Dan]

... the state's sidewalk requirements are far more stringent than most other states

Obviously, stringent sidewalk requirements don't work.  Six- and eight-lane arterials are inherently dangerous.

[hightowerlover]

Way to go Butler Blvd!

[urbaknight]

It's funny that just about all 10 on the list are here in the south. It just goes to prove that the south's mentality towards those without cars echos the south's resentment for those that they believe to be inferior to them. (I equate them to being racists, classists, anti culture, anti poor, anti disabled etc) These evil idiots would still have slaves if the law still allowed them to. I hope you all here know the group of southerners I'm attacking, it's not everybody in the south, it's mostly the powers that be and those who support their archaic policies.

Redneck law says that walking is obsolete. I just wonder when they'll have their legs amputated and replaced with a pull start engine with two giant mud tires, think of it as a redneck segway.

[Dashing Dan]

Way to go Butler Blvd!

Butler Blvd was originally planned to be an expressway, i.e. just like the Arlington Expressway.  

Thankfully, those plans were changed.

[L.P. Hovercraft]

Another pedestrian death/vehicular homicide in Jacksonville, this time near the "pedestrian/bicycle friendly" Riverside/Brooklyn area.  Was apparently dragged a block by a second vehicle after being struck by an SUV.
Horrible.


http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2014-08-28/story/pedestrian-who-died-thursday-morning-riverside-ave-was-dragged-block?utm_source=cx

[MusicMan]

If you step in front of a moving vehicle that has the right of way you very well might be hit.

Jacksonville is the Capital of "Dumbasses Walking in Front of Cars", too. I cannot tell you how many times I have experienced a pedestrian walk right out in front of a car that had the right of way. Many of them are hoping for a lawsuit.

Yesterday in the Publix parking lot, my wife was backing out of her parking place. A pedestrian who was out in the traffic lane signaled to my wife to back out, that no cars were coming. My wife put the car in reverse and began to back up. At this precise instant the pedestrian stepped in front of my wife's car (in front of the rear bumper). Thankfully the car has a back-up camera. She did not hit the pedestrian, although she is 100% convinced this was what the person was hoping for.

[I-10east]

^^^I totally agree with the people walking in front of cars. I've been in so many near accidents with pedestrians in the wrong, I lost count. It's easy to sit here and fault the drivers in every situation, like many on here do.

Another vehicular homicide in Jacksonville, this time near the "pedestrian/bicycle friendly" Riverside/Brooklyn area.

The driver is not likely to face any charges, so I wouldn't call it 'vehicular homicide'.

[L.P. Hovercraft]

"Reason" #1 Jacksonville is one of the tops in the nation for pedestrian fatalities:

If you step in front of a moving vehicle that has the right of way you very well might be hit.

Jacksonville is the Capital of "Dumbasses Walking in Front of Cars", too. I cannot tell you how many times I have experienced a pedestrian walk right out in front of a car that had the right of way. Many of them are hoping for a lawsuit.

And reason #2:

The driver is not likely to face any charges, so I wouldn't call it 'vehicular homicide'.

[Josh]

unless something has changed,  by law on municipal streets, pedestrians have the right of way.

Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.

[MusicMan]

Surely a pedestrian can not walk out in front of traffic moving in accordance with traffic lights and expect them to stop. If this were true we would never be able to drive anywhere, folks would just walk across and ignore the lights. (Oh yeah, they already do that.) 

[Josh]

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.130.html

[Josh]

The interpretation of the regulation I posted is that if pedestrians are to yield right-of-way to vehicles when not in a crosswalk, they therefore have the right-of-way in a crosswalk.

At the end of the day though, right-of-way isn't going to stop a moving vehicle. Just look at serial vehicular murderer Michael Fortunato.

Better to be wrong than dead right.