DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting Wednesday to talk about pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements along a roughly three mile stretch of U.S. 1 in Volusia County.
The $9.2 million project proposes to resurface U.S. 1 (South Ridgewood Avenue) from Beville Road (S.R. 400) to north of Fairview Avenue in Daytona Beach.
As part of the resurfacing, FDOT wants to address safety concerns along the corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Shonia Ford lives near U.S. 1 and said she’s seen a lot of close calls over the years between vehicles and pedestrians.
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“It’s almost a daily thing. You’ve got to really be careful and cautious when you cross,” Ford said. “Traffic’s too heavy on U.S. 1. If we can make it better for people to cross, especially the homeless community and the kids, that would be great.”
Buffered bike lanes and pedestrian midblock crossings have been proposed in early designs of the project.
The 7-foot-wide buffered bike lanes would provide extra space between bicyclists and vehicles.
“It is a scary situation when you’re riding a bicycle down U.S. 1. That’s why I choose to stay on the sidewalk,” Ford said.
The project includes plans for four new midblock pedestrian crossings equipped with Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHBs).
The crossings are proposed near Osceola Avenue, south of Shady Place, between South Street and Cedar Street and north of Live Oak Avenue.
Several PHBs have been installed throughout Central Florida, including one in 2020 on International Speedway Boulevard near Mainland High School.
According to FDOT, PHBs have shown to reduce pedestrian crashes by 69%.
An open house on the project will be held Wednesday from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the News-Journal Center at Daytona State College, which is located at 221 N. Beach Street.
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