Making Metro Orlando Safer for Pedestrians

From 2000 through 2009, more than 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. Transportation for America believes these numbers indicate decades-long neglect of pedestrian safety in the design and use of American streets. In 2009, 41 percent of the nation’s pedestrian fatalities occurred in four states (California, Florida, Texas, New York), each with 300 or more pedestrian traffic fatalities that year. Pedestrian traffic fatalities did dropped from 4,892 in 2005 to 4,092 in 2009, an average decrease of 200 each year.
Source: Pedestrian Fatalities by State. 2010 Preliminary Data, by Dr. James Hedlund, Highway Safety North, prepared by Governors Highway Safety Association.
Download the report at https://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011. Here you can also view the Top 10 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians and download “Dangerous by Design 2011.”

The most dangerous area for pedestrians in the U.S. the past two years? New York City, Chicago, Boston? Nope, at least not according to Transportation for America, an organization that promotes alternative transit. The Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla. metro area had the highest “pedestrian danger index.” In fact, the top four in the danger index were in Florida.

To counter this trend, Bike/Walk Central Florida, MetroPlan Orlando and the Winter Park Health Foundation have begun an 18-month education/enforcement program called the "Triple E Initiative." It “combines aggressive law enforcement, education and low-cost engineering” to help make metro Orlando safer for pedestrians. Funding for the effort comes from MetroPlan Orlando and the Winter Park Health Foundation. The Winter Park Health Foundation is putting up $108,250 grant. MetroPlan Orlando chipped in $41,750.

Principal researchers Dr. Ron Van Houten and Dr. Louis Malenfant will work with MetroPlan Orlando, law enforcement agencies and traffic planners to identify locations ideal for engineering improvements and enhanced enforcement.

Bike/Walk Central Florida, under the direction of the Center for Education and Research in Safety, will conduct a study to gauge the initiative’s success.

Previous Triple E projects around the country have shown dramatic results, with the percentage of cars yielding to pedestrians in targeted crosswalks increasing from single digits to 80-90 percent.