Make change at dangerous crosswalk; try better idea at Miccosukee Greenway | Street Scene

On April 29, 2024, FSU sophomore Elizabeth Sims was killed crossing the street, in the crosswalk, "protected" by the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB). This beacon flashes yellow.

Street Scene has brought to the forefront before, and again says this extremely valuable lifesaving traffic control device must flash red.

Safety: Parents, students advocate for pedestrian safety following death of FSU student

A yellow light is a caution signal giving the message — prepare to stop. A red light means stop. In this fatal pedestrian-vehicle traffic crash the driver of the vehicle which struck and killed Elizabeth says the glare of the sun caused him not to be able to see clearly. A brilliant flashing red beacon will better shine through the sun's glare.

I have written to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and my two alma maters, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Society of Safety Engineers requesting these influential public safety entities join me in my push to increase the driver RRFB yield rate (a measure of number of drivers yielding to pedestrians) from 70% to 100% by mandating the installation of red lens.

Miccosukee Greenway/ Welaunee Greenway issues

The trail through the now former Welaunee property providing horse riding, hiking, running and walking was in place long before Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and the Tallahassee-Leon County Greenways Program, which ultimately took possession.

Greenway changes: Miccosukee Greenway supporters unhappy with 'compromise' struck by Leon County Commission

During the 1970s and 1980s and probably years prior, this “greenway” was a nature walk enjoyed by many of the families who are apposed to building roads cutting through the nature walk they created. A path which provided happy family times with their children discovering additional wonders of what we called Mother Nature.

We ask the question: does our Jewel-in-the-Forest and Meadows trail belong to the people who actually created it or the people who took it and gave it a different name? We stand fast, we do not want roads cutting through our nature walk putting us in danger of being struck by vehicles.

From New York to New Zealand, nature trails throughout America and the world, the solution to keep people away from traffic is to elevate nature walks. If we explore the cost of elevating nature trails above roads the financial cost will be on par or less than a redesign of at-grade intersections.

Right now we have a wonderful opportunity to design something beautiful and exciting into our Welaunee Jewel-in-the-Forest and Meadows at each road juncture. Lift the trail up and over the proposed intersecting roads. Do not chop up this beautiful trail putting people and animals in the path of vehicles.

There are multiple federal and private funds available for trails to navigate away from the obvious danger of bringing vehicles in conflict with people. American Trails americantrails.org ), American Hiking ( americanhiking.org ), FHWA Recreational Trails Program are but three.

We should spend our time, efforts and resources keeping vehicles separate from people and animals. If that effort prevents one unfortunate mishap of a vehicle striking a trails patron we will realize the cost to partially skyway the greenway is not only money well spent but insignificant when compared to saving a life. History proves mixing vehicles with people is always a recipe for disaster.

Part II: A word on speed enforcement

Transportation safety professionals know controlling speed using non-standard traffic control instead of law enforcement doesn’t work. A 25 mph speed limit will not be respected and will serve to make every motorist traveling Miccosukee Road a law violator. And in so doing will reduce the believability of posted speed limits on other roads. With few exceptions speed limits are set by the 85 percentile speed, not by municipal planning departments.

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Transportation safety professionals also know by our traffic studies over many years, an attempt at speed control by reducing the lane widths sounds good, even looks good on paper but will not change a motorist utilizing the full pavement width. Many trucks, including trash collection, travel Miccosukee Road which are already having trouble staying within in the 11 foot lanes.

Another thing to consider: keeping the proposed 10’ outside edge-line clearly visible will be tricky. Glass beaded thermoplastic white striping will be necessary augmented by omnidirectional raised pavement markers.

Raised pavement markers are a must for clear edge-line delineation. Especially in the rain. These things are not only expensive to purchase and install but the ongoing replacement of the ones that succumb to the constant battering of wheels fighting to stay away from oncoming traffic.

Then there’s this. The state centerline/ edge-line paint truck is already bypassing Florida’s capital city as evidenced by the condition of obliterated pavement markings throughout Tallahassee. The lack of clear brightly reflective legible pavement markings at night leaves many out-of-state visitors and local drivers wondering where the travel lanes are exactly. Add a little rain and crucial lane-lines in Florida’s capital disappear completely.

Weeds obliterating signs

Q. Janet says there are too many street signs covered with weeds and hidden by tree limbs we can’t even see them. Shouldn’t something be done?

A. Yes Janet something should and will be done. This is the time of year when we Tallahasseean’s living in our summertime tropical climate experience important traffic control devices covered in vegetation. We ask our city and county public works guys to regularly survey our streets and rural roads to identify and fix all non readable traffic signs and signals.

We ask our law enforcement officers, city bus drivers, taxi drivers and any drivers of vehicles fitted with a transceiver radio to pick up the microphone and let your station know the location of signs and signals with line of sight limitations so the station dispatcher can notify our city or county public works.

What's up on Thomasville?

For all of you asking the same question: A SunStop convenience store and gasoline station is planned to go up at Thomasville Road and Ox Bottom Road.

Philip Stuart is a retired Florida State Trooper, Traffic Operations Projects Engineer and Forensics Expert Witness. Write to crashsites@embarqmail.com .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Make change at dangerous crosswalk; try better idea at Miccosukee Greenway | Street Scene