ORLANDO, Fla. – Just days after News 6 reported problems with a new raised crosswalk on Orange Avenue, crews were out overnight making some changes.
While designed to improve pedestrian safety, some said the crosswalk near Berkshire Avenue was too steep and was damaging vehicles.
News 6 reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation last week about the crosswalk, and the department said it was built according to plan.
However days later, crews smoothed out the side of the crosswalk that caused issues for drivers leaving Winter Park and entering Orlando.
Local resident John Schultz told News 6 he supported the addition, saying it forces drivers to slow down in an area where speeding is a frequent issue.
“A lot of people walk around here all the time,” Schultz said. “We’re just alarmed at how fast people drive and the lack of consideration for lane changes. Just now, we heard a car scrape going over it. It’s not good. So they have to slow down. I think this is a great thing. More of this is better.”
Daniel Marrero, a local delivery driver, believes the complaints may be more about driver behavior than the crosswalk itself.
“I think that’s more of a component of people speeding,” Marrero said. “If you’re creating a safe crosswalk, you want people to drive slowly. This is a 30 mph residential area, and the sign is right over there—you definitely want to slow down.”
While the changes may help smooth out the ride, the message from FDOT remains the same: the crosswalk is here to slow drivers down.
So if you’re still feeling a bump, it might be time to check your speed.
