City plan will address Jacksonville's 'jarring' pedestrian death rate

[thelakelander]

Jacksonville's history as a killing field for pedestrians and bicyclists, reinforced by a cluster of recent fatalities and spotlighted in a speech by former President Bill Clinton, will be a challenge to change, say planners who will try to do just that.

Clinton told a Ponte Vedra Beach crowd in mid-November that Jacksonville's rank as the city with the third-highest pedestrian death rate in the country is a problem and will be addressed as part of a Clinton Foundation initiative.

Two days earlier in a 10th-floor meeting in Jacksonville's Public Works headquarters, city officials, police, community representatives, planners and a consultant began work on what they hope will be solutions to the problem.

Jacksonville City Councilwoman Lori Boyer, who was at the Clinton speech and worked to get the city study launched, called the death rate a terrible statistic. "Those individuals who lose their lives in traffic accidents, as pedestrians, as bicyclists, their families are just as impacted as the families of homicide victims," she said.

So far this year 41 pedestrians died on Jacksonville streets, according to the Sheriff's Office. Ten have been reported since Oct. 7.

In 2013 Jacksonville's rate of pedestrian deaths was second only to Detroit, according to the latest analysis available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

That year, 33 people died in Jacksonville, a rate of 3.92 people per 100,000, more than double the national average of 1.5 per 100,000, according to the agency. Detroit's rate for the same year was 6.10 per 100,000.

Smart Growth for America ranked the Jacksonville third in 2011 and more recently in 2014, as the former president noted.

"It's going to be awful this year," Boyer said. "We may be number one in the country this year."

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2015-12-05/story/city-plan-will-address-jacksonvilles-jarring-pedestrian-death-rate

[TimmyB]

Not really a surprise.  One of the best parts of Jax is how easy it is to get around in your car.  They have been very aggressive about not only building large roads (boulevards), but also, building bridges where these large roads intersect (e.g., Kernan and Beach, Atlantic, etc.)  However, this means traffic is moving at highway speeds, with pedestrians and cyclists around.  Not a great mix.

[Captain Zissou]

On Saturday night I was driving on hodges and the width of the ROW was astounding.  Kernan is the exact same.  Why do we need to cut these 200 foot wide swaths of pavement through our landscapes.  On Roosevelt I often find myself speeding because it feels like that road is designed for 65 mph speeds, but it has a 45 mph posted speed limit.

[TimmyB]

On Saturday night I was driving on hodges and the width of the ROW was astounding.  Kernan is the exact same.  Why do we need to cut these 200 foot wide swaths of pavement through our landscapes.  On Roosevelt I often find myself speeding because it feels like that road is designed for 65 mph speeds, but it has a 45 mph posted speed limit.

Exactly.  It is very easy to think you're on a highway, when you're not.  I imagine, in addition to the pedestrian issues, there are a lot of T-bone crashes down there, simply from people underestimating the speed of vehicles and pulling out in front of them.

[pierre]

On Saturday night I was driving on hodges and the width of the ROW was astounding.  Kernan is the exact same.  Why do we need to cut these 200 foot wide swaths of pavement through our landscapes.  On Roosevelt I often find myself speeding because it feels like that road is designed for 65 mph speeds, but it has a 45 mph posted speed limit.

Alot of roads like that in town. I visited some friends in Oakleaf this weekend. Argyle Forest is a 45 MPH speed limit. I was going 50 and was getting passed by people easily going 60-65 or more.

[mtraininjax]

On Roosevelt I often find myself speeding because it feels like that road is designed for 65 mph speeds, but it has a 45 mph posted speed limit.

Ah, the justifications of not paying attention on the road. Justification of speeding while talking on the phone, texting, fumbling with the radio, doing everything but paying attention to the 6000 pound vehicle you are steering, hoping inertia will be wrong. Just freakin slow down. If it was that important to go 65 mph, leave 5 minutes earlier. Set an example for others to follow.

Or break the law and just continue to do what you do.

[simms3]

For me it's astounding how wide open the roads are when I come back to town.  Used to crowded city streets where people "gun it" up to a whopping 20-30 mph tops to merge a lane or pass someone, but normally there is just backup and honking.  When I come to Jax, the roads are all 6 lanes, smooth, and with no traffic.  I realize people talk about traffic on some roads, but I did SJTC area on Friday/Saturday over Thanksgiving, and Tinseltown, etc, and I'd say from my perspective the roads were smooth sailing.

It just seems like Jacksonville overbuilds capacity for traffic/crowding that just isn't really there?  I agree with Captain Zissou - why is the posted speed 45 when nobody is on the road, the lights are all green, I personally hardly see a soul walking or biking around.  I'm going to be pushing that speed pretty hard and not feeling bad at all about it.

I have also noticed that Jax runs DUI checkpoints really really hard.  Like these roads are built for road racing and nobody cabs or takes transit to drink since it's not available, and these roads are bloated and the cops seem bloated, too.

Perfect example of a city spending wayyyy too much on additional infrastructure for tiny tiny accretive gains in population.  Definitely not sustainable at current tax rates, and frankly, just not sustainable from any perspective (environmental, financial, efficiency, etc).

[carpnter]

On Saturday night I was driving on hodges and the width of the ROW was astounding.  Kernan is the exact same.  Why do we need to cut these 200 foot wide swaths of pavement through our landscapes.  On Roosevelt I often find myself speeding because it feels like that road is designed for 65 mph speeds, but it has a 45 mph posted speed limit.

Isn't there a row of JEA transmission lines along one side of Kernan Blvd?

[Kay]

Couldn't agree more.  It is ridiculous, costly, short-sighted.

For me it's astounding how wide open the roads are when I come back to town.  Used to crowded city streets where people "gun it" up to a whopping 20-30 mph tops to merge a lane or pass someone, but normally there is just backup and honking.  When I come to Jax, the roads are all 6 lanes, smooth, and with no traffic.  I realize people talk about traffic on some roads, but I did SJTC area on Friday/Saturday over Thanksgiving, and Tinseltown, etc, and I'd say from my perspective the roads were smooth sailing.

It just seems like Jacksonville overbuilds capacity for traffic/crowding that just isn't really there?  I agree with Captain Zissou - why is the posted speed 45 when nobody is on the road, the lights are all green, I personally hardly see a soul walking or biking around.  I'm going to be pushing that speed pretty hard and not feeling bad at all about it.

I have also noticed that Jax runs DUI checkpoints really really hard.  Like these roads are built for road racing and nobody cabs or takes transit to drink since it's not available, and these roads are bloated and the cops seem bloated, too.

Perfect example of a city spending wayyyy too much on additional infrastructure for tiny tiny accretive gains in population.  Definitely not sustainable at current tax rates, and frankly, just not sustainable from any perspective (environmental, financial, efficiency, etc).

[mtraininjax]

I have also noticed that Jax runs DUI checkpoints really really hard.

Its about funding, the more arrests, the more funds they can apply for with grants. Everything done at a police level is all about getting the most use out of taxpayer funded dollars. Grants are no different.