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Orlando road safety study receives federal funding
Orlando area ranks as one of the deadliest regions for bicyclists and pedestrians, according to officials. Commissioners want to fix that. In an attempt to make Orlando’s streets safer, the commission just accepted $606,000 from the federal government through a RAISE Grant.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando area ranks as one of the deadliest regions for bicyclists and pedestrians, according to officials. Commissioners want to fix that.
In an attempt to make Orlando’s streets safer, the commission just accepted $606,000 from the federal government through a RAISE Grant. That stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity.
Orlando was the only city in the state to get one from the Florida Department of Transportation.
The grant will pay for a study of six different corridors that the City has identified as "high injury networks."
That includes portions of Kirkman Road, State Road 50, Orange Blossom Trail, Orange Avenue, Semoran Boulevard, and Curry Ford Road.
Tonya Wilder, the City of Orlando’s Director of Transportation, says that the study will provide suggestions and recommendations for improvements on the roads.
"But that takes money," Wilder said. "That takes opportunities and money. We seized that opportunity today, and the council made a wonderful decision allowing us to move forward on this."
The city says it’ll be looking into things like extra crosswalks, better bicycle lanes, different traffic signals, improved sidewalks, and more.
RAISE Grant
People FOX 35 News saw out and about, talked with about the newly-approved funding, and liked the idea. A man named Steve Simpson says he’s a believer in some of the options the City will be considering.
"They have those areas where they have the flashing lights. I would imagine that would help because it would just tell people to stop."
However, Simpson felt it’s also up to pedestrians and bicyclists to ensure they’re safe.
"If you’re in someplace that there’s a lot of cars, you kind of have to take extra precaution to make sure you don’t get hit by one," Simpson told FOX 35.
The City of Orlando will match part of the grant, so there’s $757,500 going toward this in total.
The studies start in April. After that, Wilder says they’ll ask for more grants to actually fund the projects the study identifies.
"It’s one step at a time," said Wilder. "That’s what we need to focus on."