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FDOT D2 CTSP Districtwide Discussions

Districtwide Discussions

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Because of numerous requests for our Districtwide Discussion presentations, we are including them below to serve you better, our District Two Traffic Safety Team members. For those who have been following these districtwide hot topics, it’s been a beneficial conversation. While looking at these slides offers a glimmer into the ongoing dialogue, it’s not the same as being present and a part of the discussions.

2023 CTST Districtwide Discussions

Thank you to everyone who has joined the conversation across our 18-county district. There has been a lot of valuable input, experience, and expertise from team members. View Florida statutes, local guidelines, ordinances, news articles, reports, and materials submitted by other team members. Please share any new data or information.

November Presentation – School Zone Camera Enforcement and Traffic Safety Roadway Concerns

November Presentation - School Zone Camera Enforcement and Traffic Safety Roadway Concerns

November’s Districtwide Discussion included a follow-up about the new Florida law allowing camera enforcement of school zone speed limits. FDOT District Two Traffic Operations Engineer, Jim Hannigan, discussed school zone camera enforcement requirements and guidelines, which will be finalized by the end of December. Additionally, an in-depth presentation reviewed traffic safety roadway concerns, submissions, and the process within our Community Traffic Safety Teams in Northeast Florida.

School Zone Speed Detection Systems UPDATE:

Pursuant to Section 316.0776, Florida Statutes, the Department may approve the installation of School Zone Speed Detection Systems on the State Highway System.  Installations of these devices on the State Highway System must be authorized through a General Use Permit.  Please use the link below to access the website to read an overview of the process, the Placement and Installation Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions, and Special Provisions that will be attached to the General Use Permit.  This process is like the process used for Automated License Plate Recognition (LPR) Systems and Traffic Infraction Detectors (Red Light Running Cameras).  Please refer to this website occasionally because the documents may be updated as this process rolls out.

School Speed Detection System (fdot.gov)

Resources are compiled on these two web pages:

September Presentation – Ongoing Districtwide Discussions

September Presentation - Ongoing Districtwide Discussions

In September, we had a productive dialogue about these ongoing electric micromobility device and golf cart concerns. We covered hot topics in the news (lithium-ion fire hazards and college campus bans on e-bikes/e-scooters), increased injury impacts, developing golf cart crossing, e-scooter research, and ideas for future discussions.

June Presentation – Continuing the Discussion on E-Mobility Devices and Golf Carts

June 2023 Districtwide Discussion Presentation

June’s Districtwide Discussion, Follow-Up on E-Mobility Devices and Golf Carts, we addressed the challenges of collecting data, local regulations, insurance and liability concerns, and designing for safe behaviors.

May Presentation – Golf Cart/LSV Concerns and Follow-Up on E-Mobility Devices

June 2023 Districtwide Discussion Presentation

In May, the Districtwide Discussion presentation introduced concerns in Northeast Florida about street-legal golf carts (low-speed vehicles). We also continued the discussion on the issues regarding electric mobility devices.

April Presentation – Let’s Talk About E-Bikes, E-Scooters, and E-Unicycles

April 2023 Districtwide Discussion Presentation

During the April Districtwide meeting presentation, we discussed the population growth in Florida and existing pedestrian and bicycle crash data. Data documenting e-bike and other electric mobility device crashes and injuries is needed. We looked at other states’ guidelines and local beach communities whom have established ordinances addressing e-bike usage.

This year, we began virtual, open discussion meetings on special topics with Andrea Atran, District Two Community Traffic Safety Program Manager. The goal is to encourage conversations on districtwide issues. The informal gathering is an excellent opportunity for members across our 18-county district to connect, ask questions, and share their expertise. In February, we reviewed safety grants. And in March, we discussed the history of the CTSP and the importance of engineering concerns. This led to concerns regarding micromobility – specifically, e-bikes and e-scooters.

Tackling these topics is a group effort. Bringing everyone together to address issues affecting our communities is what we are about. Additionally, we look forward to future Districtwide Discussions and new topics for collaboration.

Safe Communities

Safe Communities

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Community Traffic Safety Teams (CTSTs) are synonymous with Safe Communities. These classic programs launched in the mid-1990s. They play a critical role in traffic safety, connecting local communities, identifying priority problems, and implementing countermeasures. The Northeast FDOT District Two Florida’s Community Traffic Safety Program (CTSP) is committed to safety and Target Zero. Florida’s traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities are at critical levels. Our CTSTs work together to improve traffic safety and help curb dangerous driving behaviors. We bring highway safety, public health, law enforcement, and business leaders across our 18 counties. Teams address local traffic safety concerns and the ongoing roadway safety crisis.

What is a Safe Community?

Safe Communities is a model used by communities nationwide to identify and address local injury problems. Safe Communities allow citizens to predict when and where injuries are most likely to strike. And take the best course of action to keep them from happening at all. This article speaks specifically to those injuries caused by traffic crashes. However, the model can be used to address any local injury problem. Four essential characteristics define Safe Communities:

  1. Use of multiple sources of data to identify community injury problems;
  2. Citizen involvement;
  3. Expanded partnerships; and
  4. A comprehensive and integrated injury control system.

The mission of the FDOT District 2 Community Traffic Safety Program is to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries. We do this within our communities by solving local problems with state assistance. We strive for Florida’s goal of Target Zero, following the Safe System Approach while incorporating the fundamentals of Safe Communities.

Historical Safe Communities Documents

Safe Communities The First Six Months
The First Six Months
Safe Communities: Community Traffic Safety Outreach Featuring Florida CTST Best Practices
Safe Communities: Featuring Florida CTST Best Practices
Safe Communities Approach
An Approach to Reduce Traffic Injuries
Safe Communities Evaluating and Monitoring
Evaluating and Monitoring
Safe Communities Tool Kit
2007 Tool Kit
Safe Communities Getting Started Presentation
Getting Started Presentation

An Approach to Reduce Traffic Injuries

In 1995, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) distributed a summary, “Putting It Together: A Model for Integrating Injury Control System Elements,” describing how prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation need to work together to make progress in reducing injuries. This injury control approach has application to traffic safety. A Safe Communities approach is one way to get the injury control system components to work together to reduce injuries. (Content from NHTSA)

Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of all injury deaths. Motor vehicle-related injuries are the principal cause of on-the-job fatalities. Additionally, it’s the third largest cause of all deaths in the United States. Only heart attacks and cancer kill more people. However, far more people are injured and survive motor vehicle crashes than die in these crashes. Most of these injuries and deaths are not acts of fate but are predictable and preventable. Injury patterns, including traffic-related injury patterns, vary by age, gender, and cultural group. There are also seasonal and geographic patterns to injury. Once the cause of injuries is identified, interventions can be designed to address the cause. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities.

Community-Based Approaches: Illustrations from Traffic Safety

Community Traffic Safety Programs were an outgrowth of the successful occupant protection and anti-drunk driving programs of the 1970s and 1980s. Historically, CTSPs combined two or more traffic safety countermeasures or interventions to address such local problems. Issues like impaired driving and infrequent use of child safety seats and safety belts. Over time, in various combinations that were appropriate to a specific community, citizen advocacy groups, law enforcement, business, public health agencies, education, the courts, and the media combined efforts by forming coalitions with elected officials and other community leaders to develop solutions to local traffic safety problems.

National Community Traffic Safety Program History

The CTSP is a national initiative established by the NHTSA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) partnership. The program was launched in 1993 to address and prevent traffic fatalities and injuries in local communities. The CTSP built upon the strengths and resources of the two agencies’ efforts by expanding the role of engineering. Furthermore, it brings new partners like the Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Officials, and highway safety educators. The goal is to promote cooperation and trust and develop cost-effective activities, including new skills, technologies, and ideas to focus on crash-related problems. (NHTSA Corridor/Community Traffic Safety Programs Student Manual, Transportation Safety Institute 1994) 

Florida Program History

“The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act mandated a state safety management system (SMS). The SMS integrated vehicles, drivers, and roadway elements into a comprehensive approach to solving highway safety problems. The focus of the SMS was to ensure that safety became an integral part of highway planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of all public roads. The FDOT used the CTSP and local Teams to address the SMS requirements.” (Safety Sentinel, March 1998) 

The agency decided that the best way to address safety on all public roads was a multi-disciplinary approach, with the intent to expand the CTST concept throughout the state. This would address safety problems on non-state roads. Additionally, it would provide forums for the various disciplines at the state and local levels. 

District Two CTSTs

One of the most crucial functions of a CTST is identifying and reporting problems on our local roadways. Through our monthly work addressing local roadway concerns, we bring together the 4E’s of safety: Engineering, Education, Emergency Medical Services, and Enforcement. Team members are the “eyes” of our roadways.

We know from FHWA that local agencies own approximately 75 percent of rural roads. Unfortunately, while local roads are less traveled than State highways, they have a much higher rate of serious crashes. By bringing the many community partners together to address identified issues in a community, FDOT has a connection to issues and data on local roads. Examples of some of the concerns addressed each month include requests for studies and maintenance support. Areas include school crossings, roadway hazards, road surface conditions, access problems, pedestrian and bicycle issues, micro-mobility issues, signage, pavement markings, signals, and areas that may need an increased law enforcement presence. 

Since 1994, the FDOT District Two CTSP has effectively identified local crash problems and provided solutions.

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.

Florida Law Restricts Teen Golf Cart Drivers

The age to drive a golf cart increased in Florida. Governor DeSantis signed a bill tightening restrictions for teens driving golf carts on May 11, 2023. It went into effect on October 1, 2023. Representative Cyndi Stevenson, who represents parts of St. Johns, filed the HB 949 legislation, which the Florida Sheriffs’ 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 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’s license or a valid driver’s license. This means a 15-year-old with a learner’s permit may drive a golf cart. Anyone 18 or older must have a valid form of government-issued photographic identification. This violation of the law would include a noncriminal traffic infraction, such as a moving violation.

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

St Johns County Sheriff's Office Golf Cart Safety
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:

LSV or Golf Cart 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.

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.

“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.

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.