Traffic fatalities are rising rapidly, reaching the highest level since 2005. Pedestrian and cyclist deaths are up 14% for the year. This national crisis is especially bad in Greater Orlando, ranked the most dangerous place for bikers and walkers in Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design Report.
This emergency needs serious solutions from elected officials. Transit riders travel to stops almost exclusively on foot or bike, so dangerous roads are a major obstacle to world class transit. Our mission is transit advocacy, but transportation systems are deeply connected, so we are also fierce advocates for Vision Zero and Complete Streets.
CFL4Transit Crash Explorer
To aid local advocates for safer streets, we have launched the Central Florida Pedestrian and Cyclist Crash Explorer.
This tool, best viewed on PCs, allows users to browse crash data to pinpoint areas of concern and better advocate for road safety in their community. You can separate data by levels of injury, and overlay maps with relevant demographics, including race, income and transportation mode.
The dataset maps crashes between 2016-2020 because FDOT is slow to release crash data, but we will update the dataset as soon as it is released. We are pressuring FDOT to release this vital info to the public in a more timely manner.
Ideas for Us Hive
Join us June 1st at an event hosted by IDEAS For Us, where we will speak about how important transit is for sustainability and the fight against climate change.
We want to start a discussion about what transit would need to exist in Orlando to use it for your daily commute or consider going car-free.
IDEAS Hives are designed to educate the public about sustainability and develop their ideas into local action projects.
This event will start at 6:45PM at the Winter Park Center for Health and Wellbeing. Learn more and RSVP on Facebook and register for the free event here.
Local Transit News
Orange County Transportation Sales Tax: Orange County Commissioners voted 4-3 to place a 1% Transportation Sales Tax on the November ballot. We thank the tireless work of local advocates who spoke at the County Commission in support of letting the people decide our transportation future.
We have read the Transit Plan in-depth and are impressed by the focus on frequency and speed, and welcome the proposal for discount fares for low income riders.
We will continue to educate the public on the benefits of a dedicated funding source for transit, as well as advocate for local leaders to implement the transit improvements as quickly as possible. LYNX riders are suffering from subpar service and need help now.
Bus Contactless Payments: LYNX released plans to upgrade their fare system to allow contactless card payments on all buses. This would make riding much easier and accessible; currently you need cash or a smart phone for their PawPass app to pay the fare. This has been a major priority for us, and we advise LYNX to implement this upgrade ASAP.
Our Reading List
Sunshine Corridor Presentation: SunRail had a workshop about the planned shared corridor between the Airport, the Convention Center, and Disney.
Key details:
- Establish a dedicated public entity to support the development and operation
- Universal will contribute $125 million and 13 acres of land for the station next to 1000 new units of affordable housing also on Universal donated land.
- Universal and Orlando’s Right Rail will guarantee $13 million in annual ticket sales, the current estimated operating cost for seven-day/365-day a year operation.
Next steps:
- Conduct Ridership Study
- Create Working Group
- Engage Federal Transit Administration & Federal Railroad Administration.
Germany passes €9 nationwide monthly transit pass plan
Germany’s upper legislative house Friday gave final approval to a €2.5 billion plan to offer a national €9 monthly public transport ticket for the summer. The public transport policy was announced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is part of a portfolio of measures aimed at cutting dependence on energy imports and boosting the uptake of clean forms of transport.
This type of bold policy is what American leaders should be doing, not doubling down on unsustainable car dependence by reducing gas taxes while ignoring transit.
Passenger Rail Workshop Presentation
Amtrak presented an updated version of their Vision for Florida. Dedicated service between Sanford and Tampa, an Orlando Airport stop, and LD Amtrak service on the FEC mainline were added.