JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly two weeks after residents at Colonial Pointe raised concerns about safety on Atlantic Boulevard following a deadly crash, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Transportation are offering answers and some context.
NEW4JAX joined JSO Officer Tommy May Tuesday for a ride-along to walk through the numbers and address what drivers are actually doing on the road.
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In the last 90 days, May said the stretch has seen 15 crashes — 10 of which were property damage, four were non-incapacitating injuries and one was fatal, which happened on March 1 and claimed three lives, injuring four others.
“Potentially, this is not an area that needs 24/7 enforcement,” May said, despite many neighbors expressing complaints about multiple accidents. “Right now, our databases are saying that is not a high-frequency crash location.”
May also acknowledged that numbers could change, stating that if the data started to show that it was indeed a high-frequency crash location, then JSO would increase its presence in the area.
JSO also put up a stealth speed box along the corridor, capturing traffic speeds in both directions over two days. The data showed most drivers were traveling between 36 mph and 55 mph in a posted 40 mph zone.
“Now, keep in mind it’s a 40-mile-per-hour zone. So not horrible. Obviously, the 55 threshold probably could be enforced, but that’s what we’re seeing,” May said.
During the ride-along, officers saw drivers hitting 62 mph on four separate occasions. May acknowledged that those instances fall outside the norm.
“So that is the outliers of this scenario. And when we can address the outliers, then we can address — thankfully, we did today a few times,” May said.
The response has not been limited to law enforcement. The Florida Department of Transportation recently installed a yellow 35 mph intersection sign in the neighborhood, but residents expressed concerns about the sign’s visibility on the roadway.
So, FDOT took action and trimmed the trees to improve the line of sight.
“When FDOT receives a concern about roadway conditions, we review and respond as quickly as possible. The location of the signage itself was reviewed by our Traffic Operations office and the line of sight was improved by maintenance crews,” the agency said in a statement.