JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three people walking along Jacksonville roads were struck and killed in just one week, according to Jacksonville police and Florida Highway Patrol reports, raising renewed concerns about pedestrian safety on some of the city’s busiest corridors.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit says that so far this year, there have been 92 traffic fatalities, and 25 of those involved a pedestrian.
Now, city officials are responding to what they describe as an ongoing safety issue on Jacksonville’s busiest roadways.
City transportation leaders say the focus is on reducing deadly crashes through its Vision Zero initiative, which targets the intersections and corridors where serious crashes happen most often.
Matt Fall, the city’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator, told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson that pedestrians and cyclists remain among the most vulnerable road users.
“Crashes are actually going down around the whole country, but the percentage of those involving vulnerable road users like cyclists is actually going up,” Fall said.
Fall says corridors like Philips Highway are especially difficult because they serve as both major commuter routes and access points for businesses, bus stops and neighborhoods, where pedestrians often have to navigate wide roadways between signalized crossings.
“So what we are seeing is our vehicles are getting safer; we have airbags everywhere, we have this detection, but vulnerable users don’t have that three tons of armor around them to protect them,” Fall said. “So, what is happening, these big SUVs are coming into contact with these vulnerable users.”
The city’s Vision Zero plan focuses on what officials call a “High Injury Network,” identifying roads and intersections where severe and fatal crashes are most common.
Safety measures include HAWK pedestrian crossings, road diets that reduce or reconfigure lanes to slow traffic, and leading pedestrian intervals that give walkers a head start before vehicles get a green light.
Officials say visibility and nighttime conditions remain key factors in many pedestrian deaths.
“We found out that over 60% of our pedestrian fatalities are happening in dark lighting conditions. So, it may look cool to be wearing dark clothing, but when riding around at night, try to wear something bright,” Fall said.
A deadly pedestrian crash on Philips Highway came amid a recent stretch of deadly pedestrian incidents across Jacksonville.
In a separate case earlier this month, a woman in her early 50s was found dead in the roadway on West 8th Street after what investigators described as a hit-and-run. The Florida Highway Patrol also investigated another fatal pedestrian crash during the same period.
One Jacksonville man who walks in the area regularly says the danger is constant.
“I’m walking all of the time around here, trying to go to places, and people are trying to run into me; we are just here trying to exist,” he said.
As investigators continue to look into recent crashes, officials are again urging drivers and pedestrians to use caution along high-speed corridors like Philips Highway and West 8th Street.
Anyone with information about hit-and-run crashes is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS, where tips can remain anonymous.