City says Winter Park is pedestrian and bicyclist friendly

This is in response to the Aug. 9 editorial “Will Quiet zones help you sleep at night?” by Mr. William Shallcross. Embedded within his perspective of quiet zones, he laid his disdain with the city’s efforts toward “traffic safety issues – particularly bicycle and pedestrian.”

I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the traffic safety improvements the city has made to make the city a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly community. For the past two years, the city’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Board along with city staff has diligently been working on projects to increase safety. Here are some examples of the actions taken to increase the safety of our residents on foot and on wheels:

• Passed the complete streets resolution that solidifies the city’s support for multimodal transportation efforts

• Filled in approximately 1,200 feet of gaps in sidewalks throughout the city

• Made visible enhancements to crosswalks along Aloma/Fairbanks avenues between Lakemont and Pennsylvania avenues

• Upgraded pedestrian crossings with new pavement markings, curb cut ramps, and signs at:

• Gay Road to assist with residents traveling to and from the shopping area
• Downtown post office for patrons to have a safer crossing of New York Avenue
• Canton Avenue to assist Publix employees and patrons while crossing to parking areas
• Lakemont Elementary School for safer student crossing

• Installed new signalized pedestrian crossings at:

• Palmer & Lakemont – serves YMCA and Lakemont Elementary
• Whitehall & Lakemont – serves Winter Park High School
• Howell Branch Road and Temple Trail - serves Dommerich Elementary and Maitland Middle School students (funded by a Safe Routes to School grant)

• Installed 65 bicycle racks of various capacities at city facilities throughout the city

• Completed the 2.5 mile Lake Baldwin Trail around Lake Baldwin by constructing 2,300 linear feet of path through Fleet Peeples Park

• In addition to these pedestrian improvements, the city is also planning on:

• Improving pedestrian crossings and adding bicycle lanes on Fairbanks Avenue as part of the Fairbanks Avenue Improvement Project
• Adding new sidewalks for some of the Brookshire Elementary School neighborhoods (to be funded by a Safe Routes to School grant)
• Installing audible pedestrian signals at Aloma Avenue and St. Andrews Boulevard to serve the visually impaired

Also, this year the Winter Park Police Department is conducting a four-part Traffic Safety Campaign. This campaign involves working with our government and community partners by distributing educational materials, presenting to school age children, using social networking and targeting enforcement of violators.

Creating a safe and efficient walking and bicycling environment has long been an established goal and integral part of the city of Winter Park. By continuing to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety we hope to ensure that the city will continue to be the best place to live, work and play for our residents and visitors, regardless of their mode of travel.

Troy Attaway is the public works director for the city of Winter Park. You can reach him at [email protected]