Remember this? JTA & Councilwoman Boyer Get It Right!

[Metro Jacksonville]

Remember this? JTA & Councilwoman Boyer Get It Right!

In November 2011, Metro Jacksonville's Robert Mann praised the immediate improvements made by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) after tipping off Councilwoman Lori Boyer's office of some seriously nasty and dangerous problems with a Southside bus stop.  Just when we thought it was safe to relax in our apparent success, it appears the job was left unfinished and now there's a beloved grandmothers death to explain.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-sep-remember-this-jta-councilwoman-boyer-get-it-right

[JayBird]

As much as I love to jump on the "Bash JTA" bandwagon at any opportunity, I simply cannot do so here. No crosswalk, bus shelter or magic school bus can prevent someone from stepping into traffic without looking. As horrible as it is to lay the blame on the victim, that seems to be where it belongs here. All of the stuff you proposed is good and certainly needed, however it would not have prevented this from happening, in my opinion.

I'm actually more appalled with the local news channel than with JTA on this, since when was this intersection downtown? If only they could do something like proofreading to their videos to make sure they're showing the right map.

[Ocklawaha]

In defense of Channel 4, they did correct the map in subsequent videos.

As for the missing cross walk, no one can say if it would or would not have prevented this death any more then it might have prevented the death of the mother walking her daughter to synagog on San Jose, but then we really don't have very many cross walks. The lack of safe crossings, signage, lights, etc. is a deadly situation that continues to keep us at the top of the list for most dangerous walking cities. Also, I am told by the residents at the retirement villas that this is death number 3, however that is a figure I have not checked out.

Beyond stripes, there are lights, flashing over and under yellows, yellow diamond signs with lights that can change to red on signal, LED lighting in the pavement stripes, yellow or red, also changeable on signal, solar powered, etc... In St. Augustine Beach, they have the yellow diamonds, flashers and each sign post contains a bucket of red flags! The fact is, until it happens to a JTA board member or city council members grandmother, nothing will be done.

Lori Boyer is one of our standout council persons and if anyone can bite down and fix this, she can. 

[toi]

I would hope the City would also take a good look at making this a 3 lane section instead of 4 lane undivided, to match St. Aug Rd north of University.  Bike lanes (which can also serve to narrow the travel lane and calm traffic) would help, too.  They have done this many times in other places without problems.  The weaving and jockeying that happens on this stretch is not great.  People quickly get frustrated waiting behind cars slowing to turn left, so they try to pass on the right.  A 3 lane section would also give a chance to put in a raised center median or other safer spot to pause in a mid-block pedestrian crossing in the area of the home and bus stop where this happened. 

[JayBird]

In defense of Channel 4, they did correct the map in subsequent videos.

As for the missing cross walk, no one can say if it would or would not have prevented this death any more then it might have prevented the death of the mother walking her daughter to synagog on San Jose, but then we really don't have very many cross walks. The lack of safe crossings, signage, lights, etc. is a deadly situation that continues to keep us at the top of the list for most dangerous walking cities. Also, I am told by the residents at the retirement villas that this is death number 3, however that is a figure I have not checked out.

Beyond stripes, there are lights, flashing over and under yellows, yellow diamond signs with lights that can change to red on signal, LED lighting in the pavement stripes, yellow or red, also changeable on signal, solar powered, etc... In St. Augustine Beach, they have the yellow diamonds, flashers and each sign post contains a bucket of red flags! The fact is, until it happens to a JTA board member or city council members grandmother, nothing will be done.

Lori Boyer is one of our standout council persons and if anyone can bite down and fix this, she can.

Well at least they changed it.

As for the rest, yes it needs to be done however I still feel this particular incident is not the platform for it because every mediation you mentioned is to provide notification to the driver of a vehicle that pedestrians will be in the roadway. In this incident, they flat out said "the driver did everything right" and confirmed by witnesses and security tape footage. So yes, I can say crosswalks would not have prevented this incident. As a Florida licensed driver, I do not react differently to someone on the side of road in a crosswalk versus someone who isn't. I wouldn't think anyone would. So yes, I agree it needs to be done but using this platform as your argument will get nowhere.

I also agree with Toi, I don't know why that area is 4 lanes, one lane each way with a center turn lane is efficient enough. I would actually push for that to save pedestrian lives far more than crosswalks, flashing lights and red flags.

[Ocklawaha]

The crosswalks that I'd like to see automatically detect a pedestrian and trigger LED flashers in red or yellow all the way across the road + on the yellow diamond sign. These folks are old, and need a helping hand. Otherwise the stop is one of the heaviest on the SS and a shelter needs to exist on either side.

I'd guess if either of us came upon a flashing crosswalk, we'd stop! These could be installed anywhere we have a retirement village, university, college or high school.