JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — According to city staff, Jacksonville is the 15th most dangerous city in the country for pedestrians and the third most dangerous for bicyclists.
Friday, First Coast News spoke with city officials about their "Action Zero" plan. The goal is to aim for zero pedestrian fatalities.
First Coast News also spoke with Sydney Earp, who was a witness to the fatal bicycle crash Thursday morning. She called on the city to make infrastructure improvements.
“This area specifically Pecan Park Road and North Main Street is one of the worst infrastructure areas in North Jacksonville," she said. Frustrated with poor infrastructure in her community, she demanded answers.
Matt Fall, the city of Jacksonville's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, pointed to a solution: Vision Zero.
“As the name states, zero. We are aiming for zero fatalities on our roadways, because no death on a roadway should be acceptable," said Fall.
From 2018 to 2023, the city averaged 30,000 crashes annually, with 441 involving pedestrians and 128 involving bicycles.
Vision Zero aims to make streets safer by targeting high-risk intersections, improving crosswalks and bike lanes, and engaging with the community— just as Earp hoped.
Although Vision Zero officially launched in September and is set to be finalized in March 2025, the city has already started addressing key issues.
“Let’s take those things that are happening, and really fix those and make it super safe now, because that’s going to have the most impact, that will get us one step closer to zero," said Fall.
Earp said she feels more reassured but still hopes for swift action.
“I just hope they happen sooner rather than later, because until the documents come out in March, who knows how long until plans start happening. I just hope people are more careful and don’t get hit on a bike, because there’s still a lot of darkness in that area and still a lot of people riding bikes and walking.”