Tag Archives: CTSP

Golf Cart and Low-Speed Vehicle Safety

Golf Cart and Low-Speed Vehicle Safety

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Golf Cart and Low-Speed Vehicle Safety has been an ongoing and increasing concern in FDOT District Two. These lower-speed vehicles are seen throughout Northeast Florida golf cart neighborhoods and RV resorts. Children are particularly vulnerable and more often injured in golf cart accidents than adults. These injuries include life-altering head, neck, or spine trauma. Compounding the issue, golf carts lack the safety features and protection that regular cars have.

New Florida Law Restricts Teen Golf Cart Drivers

In recent news, the age to drive a golf cart will increase in Florida. Governor DeSantis signed the new bill tightening restrictions for teens driving golf carts on May 11, 2023. It goes into effect on October 1, 2023. Representative Cyndi Stevenson, who represents parts of St. Johns, filed the HB 949 legislation, which The Florida Sheriff’s Association supported.

“As we adopt new options for mobility, safety regulations will also have to evolve,” Stevenson previously told First Coast News. “We are seeing more people in the ER with serious avoidable injuries. This bill is a common-sense way to reduce pain, suffering, trips to the ER, and even loss of life.”

In the new law, a golf cart may not be operated on public roads or streets by a person under 18 years of age unless they possess a valid learner’s driver license or valid driver license. This means a 15-year-old with a learner’s permit may drive a golf cart. Anyone who is 18 or older unless they possess a valid form of government-issued photographic identification. This violation of the law would include a noncriminal traffic infraction, similar to moving violations.

Reference Materials for the Golf Cart and Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) Safety Discussion

Golf Cart and Low-Speed Vehicle Safety Brochure by St Johns County Sheriff’s Office
FLHSMV Guide to Owning Low-Speed Vehicles
FLHSMV Guide to Owning a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV)
Safe Mobility for Life brochure about golf carts and low-speed vehicles in Florida
Safe Mobility for Life brochure about golf carts and low-speed vehicles in Florida

Safety Concerns and Studies:

Local Guidelines, County Ordinances, Florida Law, and National Education:

Rural RV Community Policies and Information Regarding Golf Cart Rules
IIHS/HLDI Low-Speed Vehicle Crash Tests
FLHSMV’s Guide to Owning LSVs
First Coast News: Should golf cart communities toughen their rules?

Golf Carts and LSVs in the News

Micromobility

Micromobility

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Micromobility usage is on the rise nationally and in Florida. The FDOT District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program examined what Micromobility currently looks like in Northeast Florida. In this presentation, we will discuss what micromobility is—and isn’t. We will look at the increased popularity of micromobility nationally and its use in Northeast Florida and consider some of the safety challenges associated with the increased use of micromobility devices while keeping in mind the goal of ZERO fatalities on our roadways.

Watch the Micromobility video presentation:

How micromobility is defined is important because the functional and legal definitions determine the rights and responsibilities of micromobility device users operating on public streets and, accordingly, how law enforcement, public safety educators, and transportation planners and engineers can work to help improve safety outcomes.

From an industry perspective, they must be:

  • fully or partially electrically powered.
  • lightweight, under 500 pounds.
  • relatively low-speed—under 30 miles per hour.
Micromobility Device Examples

Examples include powered bicycles, also known as “E-bikes,” standing scooters, seated scooters, self-balancing boards like “Segways” and some “Hoverboards,” non-self-balancing boards, powered skates, and a range of other similar devices.

We highlight Florida Statutes and how micromobility is defined in Florida law. We discuss local regulation and Florida’s “Home Rule” principle. As a result, local governments can prohibit use on trails and sidewalks and regulate “for-hire” devices up to and including prohibition.

Flip through the presentation slides:

In five years, from 2016 to 2019, the use of shared, for-hire devices has increased more than seven-fold. Use accelerates as fleets of scooters and e-bikes are deployed in more cities.

While electric devices differ from “Active Transportation” modes like walking and pedaling a bike, the safety and infrastructure focus are similar. Micromobility devices are treated the same as traditional bicycles from a legal perspective because they generally have similar speed, maneuverability, and weight. Accordingly, strategies to enhance bicyclist safety, as well as strategies to make streets safer for pedestrians, will generally benefit micromobility users as well.

Micromobility Infrastructure Needs
Micromobility Docks, Corrals, Dockless

The infrastructure options to make micromobilty safe and effective are similar to those for cycling —namely, lower-stress facilities. Accordingly, networks that include low-stress facilities such as protected bike lanes, shared-use paths, bike boulevards, and cycle tracks will be more appealing to and improve the safety outcomes of a broader group of conventional bicycle and micromobility users.

Shared micromobility services are not currently as common in Northeast Florida as in other parts of the state. To date, three communities have active contracts with micromobility providers.

Micromobility in Gainesville
Micromobility in Jacksonville
Micromobility in St Augustine

Safety challenges are similar to bicycles. However, an E-bike or powered scooter can attain relatively high speeds faster and with little effort. Lack of experience is another critical factor.

Safety strategies include applying bicycle and pedestrian countermeasures. These include pedestrian safe crossings, low-stress bike infrastructure, and encouraging the use of helmets and safety equipment.

Our Community Traffic Safety Team members play an essential role in developing and implementing strategies to address these safety challenges. This includes working with local governments to include best-practice provisions in micromobility vendor contracts concerning geofencing and management of the public right-of-way; planning, designing, and construction of low-stress bicycle infrastructure to provide for overall mobility advantages; and working with businesses, chambers of commerce, and local law enforcement to provide educational material to tourists and other potentially inexperienced micromobility users.

We hope you take this opportunity to learn about Micromobility. Additionally, check out bicycle and pedestrian safety resources and tips.

Micromobility news and resources:

“E-scooters, which were a novelty just a few years ago, are here to stay. Everyone deserves to feel safe on the road, and we must do more to prioritize safety for this growing mode of travel.”

GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins
complete streets

Complete Streets

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The Community Traffic Safety Program in Northeast Florida is committed to education, outreach, and the Target Zero goal of reducing serious injuries and deaths on our roadways. This presentation explains why FDOT’s Complete Streets are essential for safety and mobility. Learn about the policy, design guidance, strategies, and project examples.

Watch the video presentation of Complete Streets:

Because most of Florida’s population growth and development occurred in the “age of the automobile,” our transportation system can be challenging to non-motorized road users—pedestrians and cyclists. Complete Streets are essential for the safety and mobility of vulnerable road users.

The presentation includes national and Florida bicycle and pedestrian crash trends. In 2019, Florida had the highest number of bicycle fatalities. Pedestrian crashes account for approximately 20 percent of the fatal crashes in the 18 counties comprising District Two.

Recognizing these challenges, the FDOT Complete Streets policy was officially adopted in 2014. The approach for the Department is to consider all users of all ages and abilities in how it plans, designs, builds, and operates its transportation system. Complete Streets are roads designed not only for passenger cars and trucks but also for transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Flip through the Complete Streets presentation:

The context classification system broadly identifies the various built environments in Florida based on the general characteristics of land use, development patterns, and connectivity along a state roadway. These attributes provide cues to the types of uses that will likely utilize the road. This is used to make decisions about design parameters. The presentation provides an overview of each roadway context class.

Eight Context Classifications can be found throughout Northeast Florida:

  • C1 Natural – lands preserved in a natural or wilderness condition, including lands unsuitable for settlement due to natural conditions.
  • C2 Rural – sparsely settled areas which may include agricultural land, woodland, and wetlands.
  • C2T Rural Town – rural and natural areas immediately surround small concentrations of developed regions.
  • C3R Suburban Residential – primarily residential uses within large blocks and a disconnected, sparse major roadway network.
  • C3C Suburban Commercial – mostly non-residential uses with large building footprints and parking lots. Buildings are within large blocks and a disconnected/sparse roadway network.
  • C4 Urban General – areas with a mix of uses set within small blocks with a well-connected roadway network.
  • C5 Urban Center -typically concentrated around a few blocks and identified as part of a civic or economic center of a community with a well-connected grid network.
  • C6 Urban Core – areas with the highest densities and building heights within large, urbanized areas. Buildings have mixed uses and are close to roadways with a well-connected grid network.
  • LA Limited Access – roadways with grade separation and limited access, such as interstates and expressways.

Examples of strategies used in District Two to make streets safer and more complete for all users:

Complete Streets Speed Tables and Raised Crosswalks
Complete Streets Pedestrian Sidewalks and Shared Use Paths
Complete Streets Pedestrian PHBs and RRFBs
Complete Streets Curb Extensions and Street Trees
Complete Streets Marked Crosswalks and Mid-Block Crossings
Complete Streets Raised Medians and Roundabouts
Complete Streets Bicycle Lanes and Sharrows

Towards the presentation’s conclusion are examples of successful Complete Streets projects in the Northeast Florida area, including before and after photos. One project on US 17/Main Street in Jacksonville reduced lane widths to provide space for a landscaped median and introduced street trees, enhanced crosswalks, and other features to manage speeds. As a result, it improved safety and made the roadway more accommodating for pedestrians.

Another example is along Archer Road in a more suburban area of Gainesville; we see how lane widths were reduced to provide for bicycle lanes. For instance, the introduction of a mid-block crosswalk to improve pedestrian connectivity.

A shared-use path was constructed on the right-of-way along State Road 207, a rural highway in East Palatka. The design and operation of the roadway were left unchanged for motorists. However, the new pathway provides for safer mobility of cyclists and pedestrians along the road.

We hope you take this opportunity to learn about Complete Streets and try new transportation options. The state of Florida celebrates Mobility Week to promote awareness of safe, multimodal transportation choices. Additionally, please check out our bicycle and pedestrian resources, and share the traffic safety messages.

District Two Six-Year Crash Fact Report

Six-Year Crash Fact Report

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This FDOT District Two Community Traffic Safety Program’s Six-Year Crash Fact Report provides data for all 18 counties.

The 6-year crash facts covers districtwide numbers, county numbers, population growth, and the emphasis areas of Florida’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. These include roadway crash facts, user behavior crash facts, and road user crash facts.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program mission is to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries. This is also the goal of Target Zero – because every life counts, and even one fatality is too many.

The #1 objective of the Community Traffic Safety Program is to reduce the number and severity of crashes. We work at identifying, developing, implementing, and evaluating safety and traffic strategies.

These strategies include planning, design, construction, maintenance, education, and community outreach. We offer traffic safety engineering expertise to the public, and with the help and assistance of our partners, we serve as transportation safety champions.

The six-year historical report is a fundamental evaluation tool as we work toward zero deaths and severe injuries on our Florida roadways.

Take a moment to flip through District Two’s Six-Year Crash Fact Report

Be Our Virtual Volunteer

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Be a Community Traffic Safety Team “Virtual Volunteer” – It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

traffic safety virtual volunteer logo

Become a virtual volunteer! As part of our Northeast Florida Department of Transportation’s Community Traffic Safety Program, we create and share original traffic safety reminders and tips on our social media channels several times per week! Topics include Florida’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan key emphasis areas to work towards zero fatalities and serious injuries on our local roadways.

Each year, we have thousands of combined views and impressions on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube, but we need your help.

Join us and help change behavior and save lives! You can do this by:

  • Liking or following us.
  • Sharing or reposting our content (don’t forget to tag and/or mention us).
  • Inviting others to follow us.
  • Repeat!

Connect with the Northeast Florida Community Traffic Safety Team on social media!

Volunteering without being physically present is not new. For years, volunteers have been off-site and have used the telephone, fax and postal mail to communicate. However, the revolution in information technology has opened up many new possibilities for volunteering and giving back to your community.

Even prior to the COVID-19 healthcare crisis and social distancing, there has been an increase in working from home. Virtual volunteering is a wonderful way to take advantage of contributing volunteer work over the internet. Social media has opened the door to expand the reach of our traffic safety tips and campaigns.

Benefits of Virtual Volunteering:

  • Increase community awareness.
  • Minimal investment of your time.
  • Flexible to your schedule with no time constraints.
  • Easy and feels good to send positive messages.
  • Help reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities on your local roadways.

We also love sharing YOUR photos, stories and events! You can email us at TrafficSafetyTeam@dot.state.fl.us. Be sure to let us know how to tag and mention your organization on social media!

traffic safety virtual volunteer thank you
Thank you for your time and consideration!