Descripción
I am forwarding a letter to the editor from Gainsville Sun: "I am calling out safety discrepancies of the public works department, City Commission or whoever is responsible for failing to put the necessary ”Slow Down! Pedestrian Crossing!” signs on the median dividing Southwest 16th Avenue.
The lighted crosswalk creates a false sense of security. There have already been many injuries, and at least one death that I am aware of. The eye-in-the-sky camera there does not deter speedsters and text-busy zombies from dangerously close instances.
Pedestrians beware, especially when crossing Sixth at the Southwest 16th Avenue junction. I am a survivor of a few close calls. Thank you to the manager of the BP gas station, for running outside to see if I was OK and needed the Gainesville Police Department.
Drivers, hang up and slow down, before tragedy strikes!
Andrew Huenink"
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A. Pedestrian safety at intersection
4 Comentars
311GNV (Usuario registrado)
Office of the City Manager 2 (Usuario registrado)
Reconocido Public Works Department (Primary) (Usuario registrado)
Cerrado Transportation & Mobility - Traffic Operations Manager (Usuario registrado)
Hello Andrew,
Traffic Safety requires a confluence of Education, Engineering, Enforcement for all roadway users (Pedestrians, Bicyclist, Vehicles, and other modes of transportation).
Particularly for pedestrian safety, don't assume vehicles will stop. Make eye contact with drivers; don't just look at the vehicle. If a driver is on a cell phone, he or she may not be paying enough attention to drive safely. As a pedestrian, you are the vulnerable road user, and are not protected by metal or airbags.
The Engineering aspects of transportation safety may be helpful using signs, signals and technology; however it does not guarantee roadway user adherence to laws or driver behavior compliance. The Enforcement folks also have limited resources to constantly enforce traffic laws. The cameras at the intersection are not used for enforcement but for viewing real time field conditions. Education’s effectivity is also limited as driving school refresher is not required periodically, and sparse.
We can enhance safety by putting reminders (i.e. on locations that have heavy pedestrian usage, we have “no turn on red signs” or “turning vehicles yield to pedestrians”, or an approved MUTCD sign). However, these additional signage does not guarantee driver behavior compliance.
Safety is first and foremost each and every individual’s responsibility.