The clock is ticking for Key West’s colourful, rainbow crosswalks.
Key West metropolis supervisor Brian L. Barroso obtained a letter late on Aug. 15 from the Florida Division of Transportation’s District 6 secretary Daniel Iglesias, demanding that the colourful crosswalks at Duval and Petronia streets be eliminated by Sept. 3.
“That’s the dangerous information,” Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez stated on Aug. 18. “The higher information, kind of, is that FDOT has scheduled an administrative listening to for town at 10 a.m. on Sept. 3 in Orlando, and we intend to combat for our crosswalks. I’ve spoken with town supervisor and our interim metropolis legal professional and we really feel we’re in compliance (with FDOT design pointers for avenue markings) with no less than two of the 4 crosswalks at that intersection as a result of we’ve had engineers on the market who stated they’re compliant with FDOT necessities.
“It’s not a state street,” the mayor continued. “The pace restrict is barely 15 mph and there have been no accidents in that intersection as a result of crosswalks.” She added {that a} metropolis fee assembly is scheduled for Sept. 3 conflicting with the listening to in Orlando. “In any other case I would definitely be up in Orlando, however our interim metropolis legal professional and different metropolis leaders will attend the listening to.”
That listening to will happen on the Florida Turnpike Enterprise workplaces in Orlando.
However it’s unknown how useful that listening to might be, given the wording of the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT’s District 6 secretary Daniel Iglesias, who wrote:
“Many native jurisdictions obtained (a previous) memorandum (about noncompliant pavement markings) and instantly started endeavor actions to make sure compliance,” the letter states. “Nonetheless, the Metropolis of Key West has publicly acknowledged it doesn’t intend to conform. … As required by state regulation, if the pavement markings usually are not eliminated by Sept. 3, 2025, the Florida Division of Transportation will take away them by any acceptable technique obligatory with out additional discover.
“You’re additional notified that if the markings are eliminated by the division, all prices related to the removing might be assessed towards the Metropolis of Key West. You could keep away from these prices by eradicating the pavement markings after which notifying the division of compliance instantly.
“Any extra violations by the Metropolis of Key West shall be trigger for the speedy withholding of state funds.
“You’re additional notified that you could be file a request for an administrative continuing pursuant to Chapter 120, Florida Statutes as set forth within the enclosed Discover of Administrative Listening to Rights. For those who request a listening to, the division has reserved time on Sept. 3, 2025 starting at 10 a.m. on the Florida Turnpike Enterprise’s workplaces in Orlando. …
“Please be suggested that the listening to won’t contain a request for an exception or waiver to allow the nonconforming pavement markings to stay in place. The division has already reviewed the pavement markings on the location talked about above and decided that the pavement markings won’t be allowed.”
Metropolis Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who’s a lawyer, took explicit exception to the above wording within the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT relating to a request for an exception or waiver.
“I’m particularly troubled that FDOT, in its letter, declared that no waiver or exception could be granted, even earlier than the Metropolis submitted such a request,” Kaufman advised the Keys Weekly. “That form of pre-determination denies Key West due course of. I’ve urged our metropolis legal professional to mount a robust protection on the Sept. 3 administrative listening to, and I imagine we should always retain specialised authorized counsel to deal with this matter correctly. Town must also discover submitting an injunction and a declaratory judgment motion, in order that the courts — not simply the state — can decide whether or not our crosswalks meet FDOT’s requirements.”
The language within the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT additionally appears to battle with the state’s personal regulation. Florida Statute 316.0745, which was handed in 2024 and covers “uniform site visitors management,” states in paragraph 8, “The Division of Transportation is allowed to allow site visitors management gadgets not in conformity with the uniform system upon displaying of fine trigger.”
Key West officers and residents plan to make a case for good trigger on the listening to. Keep tuned to keysweekly.com for extra particulars about attending the executive listening to.
Politics or public security?
Kaufman has questioned whether or not the state’s motives in concentrating on pleasure crosswalks in a number of cities are based mostly on politics or public security.
“Our regulation enforcement officers inform us there has not been a single accident, or any incident involving the crosswalks they usually’ve been there for a few years,” Kaufman stated on Sunday, Aug. 17, when he appeared on “This Week in South Florida” aired by Native 10 Information in Miami. “So it appears to me that (the state’s efforts) are content material based mostly, in line with what the image is on the bottom versus precise issues of safety.”
Kaufman advised the Keys Weekly on Tuesday, Aug. 19, “These crosswalks had been put in years in the past by a licensed contractor who adopted FDOT’s personal design guide, which has not modified since that point. To now declare they’re noncompliant appears inconsistent with the division’s personal pointers.”
Metropolis Commissioner Donie Lee stated he was disenchanted, “however not shocked,” by FDOT’s newest demand and deadline for removing.
“It’s unbelievable that with all of the vital points that face our state and metropolis, that is what we now have to spend a lot time and sources on,” Lee stated. “We are going to proceed to guage all of our choices to try to maintain the crosswalks that we imagine meet FDOT requirements.”
Will state goal Tallahassee’s painted crosswalks?
Kaufman directed the Keys Weekly to a grant-funded mission known as Crosswalks to Lecture rooms that since 2023 has paired artists from the Tallahassee and Tampa areas with college students from seven faculties to remodel 14 busy crosswalks into artworks.
“The 2023 Knight Inventive Communities Institute created asphalt artwork initiatives at intersections and crosswalks in Tallahassee to enhance security for college kids and drivers as they journey to and from college,” states the mission web site. “The Crosswalks to Lecture rooms initiative incorporates STEAM rules and pairs native artists with college students to create visually interesting artwork to convey consideration to drivers that college students could also be crossing the street, so they need to be alert and decelerate.”
In the case of pedestrian and driver security, the nonprofit Knight Inventive Communities Institute “labored with each Leon County Authorities and Florida State College to find out if the set up of creative crosswalks make a distinction,” the web site states.
Research present artistic crosswalks sluggish site visitors
Seems, the painted crosswalks led to “vital reductions of pace from 37 to 29 mph” — a 22% lower — in a single location. An FSU research additionally assessed drivers’ habits outdoors two elementary faculties with painted crosswalks.
“Their findings present a ten% lower in drivers working intersection cease indicators and a 6% enhance in drivers coming to a full cease at intersections.
“Comparable findings can be found on the nationwide degree, too,” the KCCI web site states, citing Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2022 Asphalt Artwork Security Examine. “Evaluating the typical of crash charges for before-and-after evaluation durations, outcomes from the Historic Crash Evaluation embrace:
- 50% lower within the price of crashes involving pedestrians or different susceptible street customers
- 37% lower within the price of crashes resulting in accidents
- 17% lower within the whole crash price
Equally, The Observational Conduct Evaluation signifies:
- 25% lower in pedestrian crossings involving a battle with drivers
- 27% enhance in frequency of drivers instantly yielding to pedestrians with the appropriate of means
- 38% lower in pedestrians crossing towards the stroll sign
Representatives from KCCI’s Crosswalks to Lecture rooms initiative didn’t instantly reply to an e mail despatched after 5 p.m. on Wednesday asking whether or not the painted crosswalks in Tampa and Tallahassee are within the state’s crosshairs for removing.
The Keys Weekly contacted the FDOT District 7 workplace, which serves the Tampa Bay space. A workers member there stated the a number of Crosswalks to Lecture rooms murals, which embrace colourful, geometric and summary designs, would seemingly need to be eliminated to adjust to the newest state mandate. It’s unknown whether or not these crosswalks got a Sept. 3 deadline for removing.
If the FDOT shouldn’t be as aggressive in concentrating on these Crosswalks to Lecture rooms avenue work as it’s in ordering the removing of pride-related crosswalks, “it might look like selective enforcement,” Kaufman stated.