JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City Council on Tuesday night unanimously passed bills that would allow Jacksonville residents to petition to lower speed limits on local roads and petition to install pedestrian crosswalks.
Councilwoman Lori Boyer, who introduced both bills, said the new laws respond to residents' concerns about speeds on residential roads and Jacksonville's high amount of pedestrian related accidents.
Under the new law -- which goes to Mayor Alvin Brown for his signature -- people could ask to reduce speed limits in a residential neighborhood from 30 mph to 25 or 20 mph.
Under the ordinance, 75 percent of all property owners on a street would need to sign a petition to lower the speed limit.
The city's Public Works Department would have to approve the change, and if approved the residents would have to pay half the costs to install new signs.
"Neighbors have been complaining about speeding traffic in the neighborhoods, concerned about safety for their children, dogs and just the residents, because they think the traffic is too fast," Boyer said.
The crosswalk ordinance would create a process for determining locations for new pedestrian crossings. It would allow council members to request locations for crosswalks on local roads based on input from the community.
There must not be another crosswalk within 300 feet for a new crosswalk to be approved.
"It might be just a striped white line, it might be flashing lights, it might be a sign, it might be a signal that actually stops traffic," Boyer said.
One of the resident of a San Marco neighborhood where there have been several complaints admits speed is a problem, but doesn't know if changing the signage will help.
"Do you think if they lowered it to 25 it would actually make people slow down? No," said Richard Worman. "If you make it 30 mph, they are going to do 40."