State urged to remove dangerous crosswalks on N. Roosevelt

State urged to remove dangerous crosswalks on N. Roosevelt

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

While the repair and repaving of North Roosevelt Boulevard that was completed last year has worked well for drivers, pedestrians are another matter.

The new pedestrian crosswalks installed along the heavily-trafficked street continue to be a source of complaints from walkers, drivers and city officials worried that unclear signals make it dangerous for people to cross the boulevard. While state law requires cars to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, the fast-moving traffic on North Roosevelt has made it difficult for drivers to see someone crossing the street or, in many cases, one car stops but the car in the next lane does not.

“It is apparent from the reaction of this dais that [the Florida Department of Transportation] didn’t do a job that worked for the city of Key West the first time around,” said Mark Songer, treasurer of Last Stand, the local non-profit organization that weighs in on environmental issues in Key West. FDOT was the state agency in charge of the North Roosevelt repaving project, including the placement and markings for the crosswalks.

Key West City Commissioners agreed, voting unanimously on Oct. 18 to send a request to FDOT urging it to rethink the crosswalk plan, taking out the crosswalks that “are unsafe and deemed unnecessary.”

“The City Commission finds that some crosswalks on North Roosevelt Boulevard present safety hazards, may not be necessary, and should be removed,” the resolution read.

The same resolution asked that FDOT install traffic control beacons at the crosswalks that remain. They recommended the use of what is known as HAWK, a High-intensity Activated Cross Walk signal. HAWK uses a series of traffic lights – yellow to prepare drivers to stop and red to stop – once a pedestrian has pushed a button at the crosswalk, activating the lights. FDOT is in the process of installing a HAWK system at Mile Marker 100, a pedestrian crosswalk that has been the site of several accidents.

“The City Commission finds that the use of HAWK traffic control beacons would enhance the safety of drivers and pedestrians,” according to the resolution.

FDOT is currently reevaluating the new North Roosevelt crosswalks and will issue a report by the end of November with its findings. State transportation staff are working with city engineers and the unanimously-passed resolution is a way for commissioners to add their two cents to the final report. Commissioners had voted a year ago to urge FDOT to modify the crosswalks.

Judy Martinez, a local resident, told commissioners at their last meeting that she has witnessed two accidents along the boulevard caused by what she called crosswalk “islands.”

“One car will stop to let someone cross and the next one won’t,” she said. “Some people are this close to getting hit and I’m afraid we’re going to have someone get killed up there.”

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