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FDOT District Five Launches its First Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon in Daytona Beach
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Five started off the school year on the right foot with the activation of the District’s first Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) in Daytona Beach! The new beacon and midblock crosswalk were installed at Highland Avenue and the entrance of Mainland High School to provide students with safer crossing opportunities across International Speedway Blvd. FDOT partnered with Mainland High School, River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization, Volusia County, Votran, Daytona Beach Police Department, local media outlets and other stakeholders to provide education to both pedestrians and motorists about the device.
A PHB is an overhead traffic safety device that resembles a regular traffic signal with a few significant differences:
PHBs are shown to reduce pedestrian crashes and increase the compliance rate of drivers stopping for a pedestrian. According to a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study published in 2010, PHBs can reduce crashes involving pedestrians by 69 percent and total crashes by 29 percent. There are more PHBs being built throughout the Central Florida region. FDOT recently activated three PHBs in Orlando on South Orange Blossom Trail and another is planned for construction this year on U.S. 17-92 in Sanford just south of Airport Boulevard.
PHBs are one of the ways FDOT is working towards its goal of improving safety for our most vulnerable road users and helping all users share the roadway space safely.
FDOT Invests $100 million in Intersection Lighting Initiative
As part of the Department’s vision of achieving a fatality free transportation system, the Department approved the allocation of $100 million over a five-year period beginning in August 2016, for targeted State Highway System Intersection Lighting Retrofits to improve night-time visibility of pedestrians (Roadway Design Memorandum 16-02). The $100 million was used towards retrofitting existing and proposed lighting fixtures to LED fixtures for Intersection Lighting Retrofit projects. The purpose of the Intersection Lighting Retrofit projects is to improve illumination levels at signalized intersections within corridors that have high frequency of nighttime crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities to pedestrians. The lighting initiative combined with targeted education and high visibility enforcement in the top 25 high priority counties in the state have contributed to a downward trend in nighttime pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries.
FDOT District 5 Celebrates Partnership with City of Apopka
On March 4, 2020, FDOT District 5 recognized the City of Apopka for their outstanding contribution and commitment to the success of Mobility Week 2019.
Though this was the city’s first year participating in Mobility Week, Apopka hosted several events to highlight safe multimodal transportation options for seniors, children, and families. Included among these events were a Senior Stroll, a community 5K run and walk event, a pedestrian safety focused Halloween event, and issuing a proclamation in support of Mobility Week 2019. FDOT District 5 Passenger Operations Manager Brenda Young, P.E. presented the recognition to Apopka’s City Council and the city’s Sustainability Coordinator, Nicole Kennedy.
LYNX to Accept Applications for 19th Annual Public Service Bus Contest
The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s (LYNX) submission period will open March 2 for qualified non-profit organizations in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties to register for a spot on the agency’s Public Service Bus.
Eight qualified agencies will be chosen in a random drawing to have their logo displayed for one year. The Public Service Bus travels routes every day throughout the three-county area.
To be eligible for the 19th annual celebration, the non-profit organization must be based in Orange, Osceola or Seminole County, operate on a budget of less than $1.5 million, and show proof of 501(c)(3) status or be a governmental agency.
Qualified agencies are required to:
The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. March 31. Incomplete entries will not be accepted. Winners will be drawn randomly and announced after April 1.
Agencies on the 2019-20 Public Service Bus are not eligible until next year.
The official unveiling of the 2020-21 Public Service Bus will be held at LYNX Central Station with LYNX’ board chair Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at 2:30 p.m. April 23 during National Volunteer Week.
For more information please contact Matt Friedman, Director of Marketing Communications, at 407-254-6206 or mfriedman@golynx.com.
Mobility Week in the News!
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Bikesto Work
The City of Orlando celebrated its 20th annual Bike to Work Day on Friday, October 25. More than 200 people joined Mayor Dyer for the bike ride from Loch Haven Park to Orlando’s City Hall. This year’s route included the recently opened Colonial Overpass, which provides a new route for cyclists and pedestrians to access downtown Orlando.
Department of Health in Seminole County Bikes to Work
For the second year in a row, the Department of Health in Seminole County co-hosted a Bike to Work Day event on Friday, October 25 in partnership with reThink Your Commute, a program of the Florida Department of Transportation. Donna Walsh, Seminole County’s Health Officer, joined the group ride of 17 riders as they traveled from the Sanford SunRail station to work utilizing the Goldsboro Trail for a portion of their route. The Sanford Police Department and Pedal Driven (a bike shop in downtown Sanford) provided support for this event.
Brake for Art Bike Tour
Two dozen riders explored public art throughout Orlando on a 5-mile bike ride on Monday, October 28. The participants were greeted by Molly Driscoll of the Orlando Museum of Art, visited the Pulse labyrinth memorial in Colonialtown, and toured the Mills 50 District to view murals, art drains and more. City of Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan shared the history of the partnerships that were put in place to support the installation of public art.
Multimodal Transportation Workshop
On Thursday, October 31, more than 100 transportation professionals attended the Multimodal Transportation Workshop to learn about the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Examples of how MaaS is being applied throughout the country were provided by keynote speaker and national expert Crissy Ditmore. This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dan Tracy, formerly with the Orlando Sentinel. The panelists included Mike Hess (City of Orlando), Juan Santos (Tavistock Development Corporation), Courtney Reynolds (former Manager of reThink Your Commute), and Bonnie Epstein (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority).
Ride Leader/Ride Marshal Training
The Florida Bicycle Association, Bike/Walk Central Florida, and the City of Maitland partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation to co-host the Saturday, October 26 Ride Leader/Ride Marshal program. More than 20 people attended this training, equipping them to help lead community bike rides.
Transit Coordinator Workshop
LYNX, SunRail and FDOT partnered to host a “train the trainer” event on Wednesday, October 30 where participants learned how to use Central Florida’s public transportation options. The training was enhanced with hands-on exercises where participants worked through various transit trip scenarios, toured LYNX Central Station, rode SunRail northbound and returned to Downtown Orlando for lunch on the Link 102 bus! Thanks to all participants and our partners for supporting the event, including LYNX, SunRail, and Ace Café.
Mix-It-Up Challenge
This year, Floridians were challenged to make a new transportation choice as part of the Mix-It-Up Challenge by pledging to try transit, biking, walking, carpooling, or teleworking. More than 170 people participated, including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings who rode SunRail to work as part of the challenge.
National School Bus Safety Week is October 21 – 25, 2019.
The theme for this year is “My School Bus, The Safest Form of Student Transportation!”. The National School Bus Safety Week website is: https://www.napt.org/nsbsw. FDOT’s goal is to ensure that students are safe walking to and from, and while waiting for the school bus. The Mobility Week team is proud to support National School Bus Safety Week.
Seminole County Mobility Week Team promotes pedestrian and bicycle safety
The Seminole County Department of Health, the City of Longwood and FDOT staff participated in Trunk or Treat Pedestrian Night Safety Event in Reiter Park on Saturday, October 19th. The team shared nighttime pedestrian safety tips with more than 70 families. The team distributed safety related promotional items such as blinkie lights and lighted armbands.
Florida's Guide to Safe Mobility for Life Now Available
FDOT has released the updated version of “Florida’s Guide to Safe Mobility for Life,” a resource to assist older adults in proactively planning their transportation future. The guide helps older adults understand the impact aging has on driving; be proactive about safe driving, walking, taking transit, biking, motorcycling and using a golf cart; and plan for a safe transition from driving.
The guide also includes worksheets to help develop a transportation plan for when they may no longer want or be able to drive and how to put that plan into action. All older adults living in Florida are invited to order a free copy of “Florida’s Guide to Safe Mobility for Life” by visiting http://safemobilityfl.com/Guide.htm. More than 3,000 copies have been distributed so far. For additional resources and educational materials, visit SafeMobilityFL.com.
City of Apopka Proclamation
Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson presented a proclamation to the FDOT Mobility Week team on October 2, 2019. With this proclamation, the City of Apopka has adopted the week of October 25–November 1, 2019 as Mobility Week. The City is planning to host several Mobility Week events, including a Senior Stroll on October 31.
Rail Safety Week 2019
It's time to rally behind rail safety!
September 22 through 28 is National Rail Safety Week. Join us in supporting SunRail’s rail safety efforts during Rail Safety Week 2019. Rail Safety Week promotes the education of rail safety and prevention of railway-related incidents by limiting distractions, trespasses and collisions.
For more information, visit https://sunrail.com/rail-safety-week-2019
Mobility Week Receives Recognition as 2018 Program of the year
The Florida Bicycle Association (FBA) recognized Mobility Week as the Program of the Year as part of their recognition awards for 2018. Libertad Acosta-Anderson, Mobility Week Project Manager and FDOT District 5 Transit Intermodal Supervisor, accepted the award on behalf of FDOT from Becky Afonso, FBA’s Executive Director.
Special Recognition Awards
Special thanks to FDOT District One Secretary L.K. Nandam for his role in elevating Mobility Week from a Central Florida initiative to a statewide initiative.
Special thanks to Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Space Coast Area Transit and LakeXpress for being early partners and champions of Mobility Week. The three agencies were recognized for hosting multiple events throughout Mobility Week.
2019 Travel Choices Award Recognizes Mobility Week Leader
The 2019 Florida Travel Choices Awards were presented at the 2019 Florida Commuter Transportation Summit on May 31, 2019. The award for Leadership was presented to Libertad Acosta-Anderson, Mobility Week Project Manager and FDOT District 5 Transit Intermodal Supervisor.
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