JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a neighborhood safety alert in San Marco, where pedestrians are concerned about the crosswalk at the intersection of Riviera Street and San Marco Boulevard.
Two crosswalk stop signs were recently installed at the intersection to halt traffic so pedestrians can safely walk across San Marco Boulevard, but News4Jax cameras captured drivers paying no attention to the signs as pedestrians tried to cross.
About a week ago, San Marco residents started posting complaints on the Nextdoor app about drivers ignoring the signs. So News4Jax set up cameras at the intersection.
The bright yellow and lime green signs clearly warn drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. It's state law. But Jamin Lee said when he attempts to cross the street, not one driver gives him the right-of-way.
“It was really surprising," Lee said. "It’s almost, like, he hesitated and then just blew past me.”
No drivers bothered to stop when Bri Shay was in the middle of the crosswalk.
"I thought it was incredibly rude," Shay said. "I was taken back by them not realizing it was a crosswalk."
Ellen O’Rourke and her husband were also ignored while crossing.
“We were walking across and we looked a little bit to let them know we were out there and he didn’t stop," O'Rourke said. "I don’t even think he looked.”
News4Jax cameras recorded several vehicles going right through the crosswalk without stopping.
According to state law, "the driver of a vehicle at any crosswalk where signage so indicates shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross a roadway when the pedestrian is in the crosswalk or steps into the crosswalk.”
Now that cameras have captured what pedestrians have been complaining about, people in San Marco hope no one will get hurt because they said it's a tragedy waiting to happen.
"Especially at night because they are not even realizing in the daytime," Shay said. "So at night, when it's dark, I think for sure."
They urged drivers to obey the law and pay attention to the signs.
Fortunately, there have been no crashes involving pedestrians reported at the intersection.
A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesperson said drivers have to pay attention to the signs, and pedestrians should not just run out into the crosswalk expecting to stop traffic on a dime.
The spokesperson said JSO officers will be monitoring the crosswalk after News4Jax brought the concerns to their attention.