Crosswalk Evaluation Begins in Brevard, Marion, & Volusia Counties

Brevard, Volusia, and Marion Counties rank within the top 25 most dangerous counties in Florida for pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, with Volusia and Brevard Counties also ranking in the 12 most dangerous metro areas nationwide. Recognizing the need for a targeted approach to address this issue, the Florida Department of Transportation has partnered with Best Foot Forward to make streets safer for pedestrians in these three counties. This partnership supports FDOT’s Target Zero initiative, which aims to reduce transportation-related serious injuries and fatalities throughout Florida to zero.

Working together with engineering and enforcement officials in the three counties, Best Foot Forward has identified ten crosswalks from each of the three counties to evaluate during the 2024 fiscal year.

In Brevard County:

• Atlantic Ave. & Southgate Mobile Homes
• Washington Ave. & Rosalind Ave
• Florida A1A midblock N. of Antigua Dr.
• Ocean Beach Blvd. midblock N. of Dixie Ln.
• Yacht Club Blvd. & Cheyenne Ct.
• Yuma Dr. & Cheyenne Dr.
• Ocean Ave. & Orange St.
• Wickham Rd. and Trimble Rd.
• Turtle Mound Rd. & Parkway Dr.
• Stadium Pkwy. midblock, S. of Judge Fran Jamieson Way

In Marion County:

• Pine Ave. & SW 2nd St.
• NE 8th Ave. & NE 4th St.
• NW 16th Ave. & NW 12th St.
• SE Abshier Blvd, midblock E. of Brown Ave.
• County Hwy 484 & SE Brown Rd.
• Cedar St. & Walnut St.
• SE 28th St. and SE 52nd Ave.
• SW 62nd Ave. Rd. & SW 103rd Loop
• Marion Oaks Course & 149th St.
• 9800 SE 25th Ave., midblock at Santos Trail

In Volusia County:

• Atlantic Ave. & Winterhaven Park
• Atlantic Ave. & Bellemead Dr.
• Atlantic Ave. & Ocean Ave.
• Walker St. & Center Ave
• Atlantic Ave & Poinsettia Rd.
• Beach St. & Cedar St.
• Seville St. & S. Beach St.
• Ocean Shore Blvd & Tom Renick Park
• Dirksen Dr. & Mansion Blvd
• Highbanks Rd. & Spring to Spring Trail

After collecting initial driver yield rate data at 30 crosswalks across the three counties in January, the Best Foot Forward Program coordinated interventions during February’s high-visibility enforcement, Operation Best Foot Forward. Participation included Sheriff’s Offices from Brevard, Marion, and Volusia Counties as well as police departments from Holly Hill, Indian Harbour Beach, New Smyrna Beach, and the Department of Public Safety in Daytona Beach Shores. Program-wide, law enforcement officials issued 366 warnings and citations for failure to yield to pedestrians, and local news outlets provided 46 digital and broadcast media placements.

The Best Foot Forward outreach team has also been spreading the message that it’s Florida Law to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, distributing over 1000 educational materials at community events and over the past few months in Brevard, Marion, and Volusia Counties. Recent events include the Ocala/Marion Safety Summit, Heritage Middle School Family Fair, the Blue Spring Manatee Festival, Cape Canaveral Friday Fest, and the Ocala Spring Festival Market in Marion County.

Crosswalk evaluation on driver yield rates will continue at the same 30 crosswalk locations throughout 2024 to measure the effects of these interventions on the driver yield rate.