TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Mayor Jane Castor unveiled a new initiative to make crosswalks safer for pedestrians and children.
Crosswalks to Classrooms is part of that endeavor, under the Vision Zero Network.
The point is for drivers to see the bright colors and pay attention to what’s in the crosswalk, like pedestrians, bicyclists and children crossing for school.
Tampa is now part of the Vision Zero Network, a movement first started in Sweden.
It’s a safety initiative now used in over 40 places across the United States, including in cities like New York, where they’ve seen a 30 percent reduction in pedestrian fatalities over the last five years.
The strategy is to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries by having cities adopt this plan.
According to Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa is one of the worst cities in the country for pedestrian fatalities.
Castor said last year there were about 200 fatalities.
She said she’s working on a 2020 Vision Zero plan which will include more crosswalks across the city.
“We’re working with the school system and what we’re doing is crunching the data to see where the crashes are at and where those crosswalks would be determined, where the most dangerous are and that’s where we’ll take our next project,” Mayor Castor said.
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