We just made the top 5 on a national list..... :-\
Jacksonville is fourth most deadly city for pedestriansQuoteJacksonville is the fourth most dangerous city in the country for pedestrians, according to a new study released Monday by a Washington D.C.-based transportation advocacy group.
The study, released by Transportation for America, found that Jacksonville was also the fourth most dangerous Florida city, behind the metropolitan areas of Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach.
The study was based on what the group calls a "pedestrian danger index," which calculated the average pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 residents over a two-year period and the percentage of people who walk to work. Only metro areas with a population of more than one million were counted in this study.
Jacksonville had an average of 2.61 deaths per 100,000 population. This was the country's fifth- rate, behind the three Florida areas and New Orleans. Jacksonville rated higher overall than new Orleans because it has a lower percentage of people who walk to work.
Transportation for America said the study demonstrates the need for more spending on pedestrian safety.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-11-09/story/jacksonville_is_fourth_most_deadly_city_for_pedestrians
Most dangerous major U.S. cities for walking
1. Orlando-Kissimmee
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach
4. Jacksonville
5. Memphis
6. Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
7. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY/IN
8. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
9. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.
10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga.
Florida's most dangerous cities for walking
(Regardless of size)
1. Punta Gorda
2. Sebastian-Vero Beach
3. Ocala
4. Panama-City-Lynn Haven
5. Orlando-Kissimmee
6. Lakeland-Winter Haven
7. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
8. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
9. Cape Coral-Fort Myers
10. Palm Coast
Sources: Transportation For America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership
1) how are we not in the top 10 in the state, yet 4th nationally? that doesn't jive
2) these lists are dumb. who knows if they are accurate or not. seem like about 1/2 the time they aren't.
It's not surprising that the four worst cities are all in Florida.
On the bright side, I guess we could say Jax is the safest city in Florida for pedestrians.
Quote1) how are we not in the top 10 in the state, yet 4th nationally? that doesn't jive
The national list probably only includes cities of a certain size.
Your metro area has to have more than 1 million residents to make the list. Congrats Jax! We're the most walkable large city in Florida. Its sort of like being in the coolest section of hell. ;D
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/706104963_82pvx-M.jpg)
I almost hit a lady this morning. She was in a wheel chair with two dogs. As I got close one of the dogs ran back towards traffic and pulled her within a few feet of oncoming traffic. SCARY!!
This works both ways. We need to teach drivers that pedestrians have the right of way -and- teach people to walk/jog against traffic and cross the road at a crosswalk. It frightens me to see folks, mostly kids, darting between stopped cars to cross Monument Rd @ Atlantic to get to the mall. They're literally 20 feet from the crosswalk, and could easily cross with the light rather than risk getting pancaked by some jackhole in a Suburban. This is a regular occurrence at other intersections closer to my home as well.
The city needs to start citing pedestrians for jaywalking and motorists for not stopping before pulling into the crosswalk (basically running a STOP/red light). They might be able to make up some of their lost tax revenue and prevent serious injury or deaths.
More sidewalks in both directions on busy roads would be a plus as well. Crazy idea, I know.
Quote from: ac on November 09, 2009, 01:20:43 PM
This works both ways. We need to teach drivers that pedestrians have the right of way.
I honestly don't think most drivers in this town realize this. Watch a driver making a right turn on green when somebody is trying to cross the crosswalk.
2 times in the Top 10 in one week, we rule! (see environment thread).
A double whammy!
One of the least walkable cities.
One of the most deadly cities for walkers.
Would a more walkable city be more deadly or less deadly? ;D
Quote from: thelakelander on November 09, 2009, 12:41:39 PM
We just made the top 5 on a national list..... :-\
Come on guys!! We can do better then that! I will do my part to help make sure we are #1 ;D
Figures...People don't consider pedestrians important in Florida. SUV's are a vital part of our community....without them how would we exist?? :-\ ::)
copperfiend wrote "I honestly don't think most drivers in this town realize this. Watch a driver making a right turn on green when somebody is trying to cross the crosswalk."
I've seen open hostility towards pedestrians in the crosswalk doing everything right just because they were delaying a vehicle that wanted to turn. And this was downtown where pedestrians should be expected. Just imagine how it will be at the future roundabout in front of the Landing.
Well supposedly "Roundabouts" are one of the safest methods there are to control traffic flow...........I say lets go one step further.....add a pedestrian lane and may the fastest win! You do realize that I am yanking your chains right? Pedestrians in the crosswalks that are green lighted to cross do have the right of way under Florida Law and I don't care just how impatient any vehicle gets.....they have to give way period!
None of this is new to anyone brave enough to use "alternative" modes of transportation in Jacksonville (i.e. bikes, feet, boards, scooters, etc...). Back in the day (early 90's) I rode my bike to work almost everyday (Cedar Hills to downtown). I was always a target for thrown burgers, chucked batteries and even a dirty diaper one time because Jax driver's HATE all that AIN'T them. Even then, they HATE other driver's too. I never wore spandex or rode a road bike. Just trying to get to work the way I wanted to...trying to exercise freedom of choice...stupid me.
However, I was in a place worse for pedestrians than Florida last year...on a paid vacation from Uncle Sam in Baghdad. Of course, some of the pedestrians there blow up too, so go figure.
During the short time I was on the TPOs BPAC, now defunct, I started an informal count of pedestrian and bicycle deaths in the First Coast area as reported in the media. I did this because it is hard to get a count from our agencies who keep official records.
In 2009 from January to April, I counted 7 pedestrian deaths and 3 bicyclist deaths. Unfortunately, I did not do this for very long so my counts are not significant. There are many reasons that pedestrian deaths are so high in Florida but the bad thing is that there is very little concern about changing the statistics.
5 points is NOT a roundabout. It needs to be expanded to make people who want to turn from Park left onto Margaret, go around the intersection. I'd like to see them expand it and make it larger.
Quote from: mtraininjax on November 10, 2009, 02:05:23 PM
5 points is NOT a roundabout. It needs to be expanded to make people who want to turn from Park left onto Margaret, go around the intersection. I'd like to see them expand it and make it larger.
I have been saying that for years. Though from what I have seen so far people can't handle roundabouts here either.
I guess no one has been up Hilton Head Island of late..............got more than enough "Roundabouts" to control traffic and with the speeds posted, they appear to work well from there..........Hutchison, Kansas same thing! They do the job, which is to control traffic movement from one direction to another and no traffic light is needed!
Roundabouts can help slow traffic but pedestrian safety and bicycle safety begins with the idea that walking and cycling are valid means, even desirable means, of getting around not a substitute for cars.
Parents see how unsafe roads are for children to bike on and feel compelled to drive kids to school. How much better for every child if the option to bike to school and around the neighborhood could be made safe and convenient. Getting around by bike and on foot gives each child a sense of independence and responsibility. This certainly applies to older persons who might not want to drive or be capable of driving.
Traffic laws allow motorists to turn right on red lights. Many pedestrians are bumped or bumped off by right turning cars in urban areas despite pedestrian walk signals and crosswalks.
Sidewalk availability encourages walking especially in dense urbanizing areas. Modeling safe walking behaviour (not darting out into traffic but crossing in safe zones and being alert to motorist's visual problems and distractions when walking at night) is something not seen in Jacksonville because so few people walk any distance or walk with their children. And yet, at some point in life or time, we are all pedestrians.
Finally, strict enforcement of traffic laws. This applies to motorists and cyclists and pedestrians. Few people even know what the laws say about the rights of pedestrians or cyclists. Some enforcement and safety officers do not know the laws. When incidents occur, leniency of the courts undermines the laws that exist.
Could we do this? You bet! In many cases, the cost would not be great to make the change. Will we?
The ranking doesn't surprise me one bit. This city has been built with absolutely zero thought to modes of transportation other than cars. Hundreds of subdivisions in the city have no sidewalks, or substandard sidewalks on only one side. Public transportation options other than bus are non-existent and every roadway that is rebuilt or expanded rarely includes bike lanes or wide enough sidewalks to accommodate and encourage safe walking and biking. The city is so spread out that everyone drives everywhere and because of this the number of posted speed limits above 30-35 is excessive compared to other cities our size. The city does not promote and encourage safety for bikers or pedestrians, hence the "throwing dirty diapers" attitude by every citizen who was raised here. I am not the only transplant who has been disappointed after moving here by the intolerance of others. As someone else posted, even downtown when turning left or right on green, people honk at you while crossing in the sidewalk.
If we look at communities like Springfield and Riverside, many sidewalks are in poor condition. I often see parents with strollers walking in the street because the sidewalks are too broken for their children to ride over. How unfortunate that state laws prevent bike lanes on streets like Main Street. This would have been the perfect street for separate bike lanes, allowing safe access for bikers to get from 8th to downtown.
I think it is too late for Florida to do anything. The build fast, no restrictions, we love cheap developers growth attitude of the state is pretty consistent throughout, and I expect Florida cities to top the list for years to come. Sadly that ranking comes with the death of many innocent residents.
brainstormer...........nice synopsis of the new "Florida way of life"! Everything appears to be geared towards developement and more! We appear to have lost contact with what brought most of us to Florida to start with.
I think that we should demand our city officials to halt and cancel all road widening projects (with the exception of highways and interchanges) and favor the construction of commuter rail, more convenient bus routs, and of course, the expansion of the Skyway. If we do that, there would be more than enough money and, it might be even cheaper than making room for more bad drivers!
Unfortunately it is not that simple....funds come from the City, State, and Federal governments....and I can assure you that folks at the state and Federal level will not allow all the money raised from gas taxes to be spent on transit.
I love pedestrians, fried, baked, or broiled.
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: Ocklawaha on November 30, 2009, 09:45:45 AM
I love pedestrians, fried, baked, or broiled.
OCKLAWAHA
That is just exactly what we thought! :D
Speaking of Park Street, my biggest pet peeve occurs in Five Points. It irks me whenever drivers on Park Street come to a stop at the intersection. Usually, I can tell by looking at the license plate that they are not from Duval. But, really? There's no stop sign for motorists going north through the area. Stand by Wendy's for a few minutes and you are bound to see at least one person who decides to ignorantly hold up traffic.
Quote from: Ocklawaha on November 30, 2009, 09:45:45 AM
I love pedestrians, fried, baked, or broiled.
OCKLAWAHA
As someone with no car, all I have to say is.... D:
(don't eat me.... ;_;)