WINTER PARK, Fla. – A newly installed raised crosswalk on Orange Avenue near Berkshire Avenue near the Winter Park-Orlando line is drawing mixed reactions from drivers and residents.
While designed to improve pedestrian safety, some say the crosswalk is too steep and is damaging vehicles.
Local resident John Schultz supports 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.”
News 6 crews spent an hour in the area and noticed several cars approaching the crosswalk at high speeds.
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.”
For now, opinions remain divided—some say the crosswalk is causing more harm than good, while others argue the solution is simple: just slow down.
The Florida Department of Transportation said the crosswalk is part of a larger safety project.
FDOT later released a statement to News 6 about the issue.
“The speed limit was lowered from 35 mph to 30 mph. The raised crosswalk on the project between Clay Avenue and South Orlando Avenue was designed to slow traffic while also raising the visibility of pedestrians using the crosswalk. Message boards were placed in each direction along Orange Avenue to alert drivers of the raised crosswalk prior to, during, and after the installation. The crosswalk was installed in October of last year, and once the crosswalk lights were activated last week, the message boards were removed.
“About a week ago, FDOT did hear a concern about the new raised crosswalk, and the project team has been on site to review that concern. We have confirmed that the crosswalk was built according to the plans.
“The project team has observed that when motorists do not adhere to the posted speed limit of 30 mph, vehicles “bottom out” as they exit the raised crosswalk at a high rate of speed.
“FDOT is reaching out to our law enforcement partners to request speed enforcement in the area. In addition, FDOT is exploring whether modifications could be made to the transition point of this raised crosswalk to make it less pronounced upon exiting. The Department will continue to observe and, if modifications are justified, FDOT will do everything to ensure the safety of both motorists and pedestrians at this much-needed raised crosswalk.”
