A group of concerned Winter Park residents has launched a grassroots effort to petition the city to make a certain stretch of road less dangerous.
Fix 426 (Website) is a group that wants to build support for its mission to “protect pedestrians, cyclists, homeowners, and their properties, from reckless and speeding drivers along Osceola, Brewer, and Aloma Avenues” as shown in the map below.
The group shared that allegedly six car crashes have occurred on the corridor in June 2022 alone, with an average of 4,201 “speed violators” breaking the speed limit there every day. In all, there have been 314 crashes on the corridor in the past 11 years, with over half of them resulting in injuries.
The speed limit currently ranges from 20-35 mph at different parts of the 1.7-mile corridor, with the average citation for speeding sitting at roughly 45 mph, according to the group.
We reached out to the City of Winter Park to see what they thought of the group, and they responded with the following.
“Studying this corridor was already in FDOT’s program to start in about 5-7 years or so under Metroplan Orlando. Based upon concerns we’ve heard from our residents, we have been working with FDOT on improvements to this corridor and we have requested them to expedite this, if possible.
FDOT has committed to doing a traffic and pedestrian safety study based upon funding available. They should hear back on available funding at the end of this month, then if funding is available, they may be able to start a study at the earliest in the fall of 2022. In efforts to try to get this moved up the list, the city offered to upfront the costs for the study then FDOT would reimburse us once funding was available. The study would be to assess all measures for both vehicular and pedestrian safety.
The City Commission and staff are aware of the interest/concerns of residents in this corridor, have held meetings with residents for their suggestions, of which FDOT was present as well.“
– CLARISSA HOWARD, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CITY OF WINTER PARK
A representative from the Florida Department of Transportation later confirmed with Bungalower that a study will indeed take place in the near(ish) future, though a project timeline was unavailable at the time of this post.
“The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is coordinating with the City of Winter Park to begin a future planning study of State Road 426 (Osceola Avenue/Brewer Avenue/Aloma Avenue. The study will evaluate potential speed management countermeasures as well as other safety improvements along the corridor. Safety for all roadway users is FDOT’s top priority. The Department will engage with locals during the study to ensure we are listening to their needs and achieving the community’s vision for the future. Results of the planning study will help the Department determine the next steps, including costs and schedule.”
– PEYTEN MAKI, FDOT PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST, DISTRICT FIVE
Click HERE for more information on the group or to sign up for updates.
