Indialantic speed bump frustrates drivers

A new speed bump is catching drivers off guard, sending some cars into the air and scraping several bumpers on a highly traveled beach road. A new elevated crosswalk is now partially opened on 5th Avenue right by the Indialantic Town Hall. With part of the crosswalk still under construction, warning signs are still covered up which is frustrating drivers because there are no signs letting people know about the new bump.

INDIALANTIC, Fla. - A new speed bump is catching drivers off guard, sending some cars into the air and scraping several bumpers on a highly traveled beach road.

A new elevated crosswalk is now partially opened on 5th Avenue right by the Indialantic Town Hall. With part of the crosswalk still under construction, warning signs are still covered up which is frustrating drivers because there are no signs letting people know about the new bump.

The new traffic feature opened last week, and the new pavement already has damage from cars flying over it and scraping the road.

"There’s going to be a lot of alignment problems with the cars, making it very dangerous," said Curtis Byrd who noticed cars having issues on Tuesday. He usually bikes along the busy roadway.

FOX 35 cameras captured half a dozen doozies in about a half hour at the site on Tuesday.

"All of a sudden, my car went up in the air and came back down, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’" added David Agee who was caught off guard by the new bump.

The mayor said the goal of the speed bump was pedestrian safety because 5th Ave. is getting busier with tourists.

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"My understanding is that raised crosswalks help with the visibility of pedestrians," said Mayor Mark McDermott.

The mayor said the current design by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has him concerned about driver safety, and he wasn't expecting so many issues.

"FDOT told us today [Tuesday] that they’re going to grind this one down to a lower height, so that will help," he added.

All along 5th Ave., the mayor said FDOT is planning to install four elevated crosswalks which will help people safely cross the road.

"Sometimes, it’s hard to ride your bicycle around here," said Byrd. "This actually slows it down and gives you a chance to get across the street."

After seeing the new addition, the community is asking FDOT to look into a different design before building the rest of the bumps.

"It seemed a little high. It seemed a little wide, too," Agee said.

"They could easily lose control of their car and go right onto the sidewalk, so it is a concern of mine now that you brought it up," Byrd concluded.

This issue will be addressed at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting. FDOT said a representative will be at the meeting, and they want to work with the town on a better solution to the design.