Pedestrian Deaths Mounting in Tampa Bay Area

The Tampa Bay area ranked as the second most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians in the United States in a new report from Transportation for America, a nonprofit campaign for safe travel. 

Among the 52 metropolitan areas studied, four of the five most dangerous are in Florida:

1. Orlando-Kissimmee 
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
3. Jacksonville
4. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach
5. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA

Florida led the nation in the number of pedestrians killed per capita in both 2008 and 2009, the two most recent years for which statistics are available, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Pinellas County was the 15th most dangerous in Florida in 2009, with 28 pedestrians killed, or slightly more than three out of every 100,000 people. 

As part of its report, Transportation for America published a searchable map of pedestrian deaths from 2002 through 2009. It lists six deaths in Gulfport, five of which happened on Gulfport Boulevard. One fatality occurred on the border of the city at 22nd Ave S. and 49th St. S.

This week, The New York Times followed a mother and her children running across a six-lane highway in Orlando, which the newspaper cast as a typical wide Florida road built for cars, not people. Children and the elderly are particularly at risk of misjudging when it's safe to cross, the Times reported.

How can the pedestrian experience be improved without creating an unnecessary inconvenience for motorists? Transportation for America suggested in a report in May [PDF, see page 38] that improving road connections on the neighborhood-to-neighborhood level would keep traffic in neighborhoods and off main roads. That would make biking and walking more convenient and decrease traffic on major roads, the report concluded, thereby decreasing the need for construction and subsequent delays on those roads.

In Orlando, communities have added sidewalks and audible signals for pedestrians, and the city has improved bus stops, built overpasses and improved lighting where possible, the New York Times said in its report this week. Two other steps toward safety the newspaper highlighted in Orlando were narrow roads, which encourage slow speeds, and bike trails.

The Pinellas County Transportation Task Force studied light rail, bus transit, roads, intersections, sidewalks and bike trails from June to December of last year. In its final report [PDF] to the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners in December, the task force recommended the county hold a referendum in 2012 or 2013 on a transportation surtax to pay for improvements. The task force is expected to reconvene this year, and members have discussed opening a dialogue with Hillsborough and Pasco counties on regional transit. 

If you would like to get involved, Pinellas County residents can submit comments for the task force online, and you can keep up with transportation programs and planned road improvements on the county website.