Designers of road systems in Florida’s metro areas apparently were focused on moving as many vehicles as possible from suburbs to downtown and back, and gave little thought to pedestrians. As a result, four Florida metro areas are the most dangerous in the country to go for a walk, according to a study from AARP.
Metro Orlando-Kissimmee, which was rated most dangerous in 2011, again ranked No. 1 in the report Dangerous by Design 2014. Tampa-St. Petersburg was second, Jacksonville third, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale fourth.
As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the danger persists despite Best Foot Forward, a local effort to ensure that car yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Police say street-crossers too seldom use crosswalks, but another problem is the number of lanes on some major thoroughfares.