Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety now a Separate “Area of Emphasis” for MetroPlan Orlando

At the most recent MetroPlan Orlando Board meeting, the board voted unanimously to add “Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety” as an Area of Emphasis. Those are a handful of areas where the board will specifically focus, when making plans for the upcoming year.

The change was proposed by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings after a presentation on the current four Areas of Emphasis, which include: Trail Connectivity, Complete Streets, Engaging a younger population and SunRail connectivity. The safety mission was previously included in the larger area of Complete Streets, but Mayor Demings felt it was important enough to make it an area all by itself.

Apopka Vice Mayor Doug Bankson agreed. He mentioned how he lost his brother to a pedestrian crash when he was younger, so pedestrian safety is an important platform for him.

A lot can change in a year, and with a Board comprised of 20 percent new members, it was the perfect time to share an overview and update of the Best Foot Forward program, which just wrapped up year one in Osceola County. BFF’s Amanda Day kicked off the presentation with a 5-minute long video for the board showing some of the ways Best Foot Forward is actively working to increase driver yield rates and lower pedestrian crash numbers. You can watch it above.

MetroPlan Orlando continues to be an integral part of the Best Foot Forward mission to lower the number of deadly driver vs. pedestrian collisions by getting more drivers to yield to people in marked crosswalks.