JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Pedestrian deaths are rising in Duval County, and residents say they are increasingly worried about walking or biking near busy roads.
RELATED: Police looking for driver involved in deadly hit-and-run on Capper Road
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a woman was struck early Wednesday on Capper Road near Wingate and later died at a hospital. Authorities said the driver of a dark-colored SUV left the scene. The crash is the latest in a troubling trend: JSO reported 21 pedestrian deaths at this point last year and 30 so far this year.
Neighbors who regularly walk and ride bikes in the area said drivers often ignore traffic signals and posted speeds, putting pedestrians at risk.
“These are real people — their lives are at risk. Don’t take another person’s life as a joke,” Jowel Rodriguez said, a resident who often walks in the neighborhood.
Rodriguez described an incident in which he and his brother tried to cross at a marked crosswalk while the signal displayed “Walk,” only to have a car speed by.
“We were trying to cross the street on the highway and nobody was looking…[The light] said walk…and it was a car just zooming so he beeped the horn mad loud like we were in the wrong,” he said.
Other residents say hit-and-run crashes are a recurring problem.
“One driver hit me and ran away,” Briel Cajuste, a professional driver, said. “They did that to me a lot. It seems to me that they don’t stop.”
In July 2025, city officials unveiled the “Vision Zero Action Plan” aimed at preventing pedestrian deaths. The plan includes “demonstration quick-build projects” and programs such as “20 Is Plenty” that would lower speed limits in targeted areas from 30 mph to 20 mph.
Residents said they hope the measures reduce crashes and make streets safer.
“You just have to watch how you drive,” Rodriguez said. “Some people don’t pay attention to the road.”
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