Recently, a college student who enjoys biking was spoken to on the local UCF campus. However, she prefers not to do it because of two accidents that recently occurred on the Alafaya Trail. She saw a pedestrian get hit by a car while she was sitting in her apartment. She also has a friend who was hit by a car while riding a bike.
Recent pedestrian accidents that occurred near the Alafaya Trail, which is located near the University of Central Florida, has raised questions about pedestrian safety. Both campus and county officials have been trying to make pedestrian travel safer. New construction has been proposed, but it will not begin until 2018. It will be completed by 2020.
Officials are looking for things that they can do in the mean time in order to reduce accidents. In 2006, there were 10 pedestrians killed near the University of Central Florida Campus. Recently in August 2017 a 20-year-old college student, while walking on the Alafaya Trail was killed while trying to run across the street. Neither one of the drivers was charged.
Emily Bonnilla is the Orange County Commissioner. She stated that they are considering putting flashing pedestrian signs near the school. They are also considering hiring off-duty sheriffs to conduct traffic. Emily has stated that she has received several calls from frustrated parents who have complained that the changes are taking too long to be implemented.
Ms. Bonnilla receives $50,000 per year for community projects. She plans to use a lot of this money to improve the roads of the UCF campus. She is trying to make the area as safe as possible as quickly as possible.
There are several proposed changes that will make the area safer. Midblock crosswalks and barricades will be installed. Sidewalks will also be widened. Additionally, more lighting will be added to the area. It will cost $7.7 million to make all of these changes. The Florida Department of Transportation, UCF and the county will provide the funding.