Plan unveiled to improve pedestrian safety at most dangerous intersections

CENTRAL FLORIDA — MetroPlan Orlando unveiled its master plan to improve pedestrian safety at central Florida's most dangerous intersections Friday.

Flashing lights are one way the group plans to get drivers to slow down, but Channel 9 reporter Christopher Heath found out they don't always help.

"If they see you, they just keep going. They don't care," said pedestrian Deja Coleman.

For Coleman, the day she and her daughter were almost hit by a car is the day she said she noticed how little drivers seem to care.

"A car was turning, she almost hit me. It’s really bad, this intersection is really bad," said Coleman.

"We do have a list of priority corridors. It's not so much that they're the worst," said Mighk Wilson of MetroPlan Orlando.

According to MetroPlan Orlando, it's actually a combination of things. There are 17 stretches of road, each with a high rate of accidents resulting from poor lighting, unused crosswalks, lake of signs of confusing signs.

Keller Road is only a three-way intersection, but it's one of the most dangerous for pedestrians.

A sign has tips designed to reinforce the rules of the road.

"Every type of road is going to have a different set of challenges," said Wilson.

The group said one of its biggest challenges is pedestrians crossing in the middle of the road. On Orange Blossom Trial, people cut across six lanes of traffic, even though there is a crosswalk less than 50 feet away.

MetroPlan Orlando said it's studying scenes like this to find out why pedestrians cross where they do, and what it can do to make things safer.

In addition to the 17 stretches of road, MetroPlan Orlando also identified nine more areas that need better lighting.

The group still needs to find the money to pay for all the improvements.

WFTV