{"id":315636,"date":"2026-06-22T14:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/315636\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:31:14","slug":"pedestrian-safety-improves-in-orlando-metro-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/315636\/","title":{"rendered":"Pedestrian safety improves in Orlando metro area"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 The deadliest place in the United States for pedestrians \u2014 it\u2019s a dubious distinction the Orlando metro area carried for years.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the area ranked worst in the nation.<\/p>\n

Five years later, Channel 9 anchor Alexa Lorenzo is looking at data that shows big improvement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pedestrian safety study A new report shows improvements in pedestrian safety data for the Orlando metro area. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

A recent report from Smart Growth America<\/a> showed the region stretching from Sanford to Kissimmee has fallen to 25th on the list of the nation\u2019s most dangerous places for pedestrians.<\/p>\n

One Central Florida safety advocate told Lorenzo the progress being made is thanks to a team effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have law enforcement regularly participating in crosswalk enforcements. We have public works that are going back to the roads that were not designed for pedestrians \u2014 but designed for speed \u2014 and trying to fix the crosswalks, improve signage, improve striping,\u201d Vince Dyer with Bike\/Walk Central Florida<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

A clear example is on Orange Blossom Trail from I-4 to Holden Avenue. The corridor was once considered one of Florida\u2019s deadliest roads for pedestrians.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pedestrian safety study A new report shows improvements in pedestrian safety data for the Orlando metro area. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

WFTV was there when Florida Department of Transportation installed pedestrian hybrid beacons, raised crosswalks, and median fencing in 2023. Since then, officials said that stretch has seen one pedestrian fatality.<\/p>\n

Last year, Channel 9 looked at similar safety upgrades near the University of Central Florida, where fencing is also playing a big role on Alafaya Trail and University Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes identifying the locations that need to be improved and then making a concerted effort in education, enforcement, and engineering all together \u2014 and then having that all over time come together to make those improvements,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pedestrian safety study A new report shows improvements in pedestrian safety data for the Orlando metro area. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

Across Central Florida, local governments have embraced Vision Zero initiatives, with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths altogether.<\/p>\n

Lorenzo has tracked the numbers over the past several years. The report ranked the Orlando metro area 8th in 2022, 18th in 2024, and 25th in 2025. It\u2019s a sign that safety investments are paying off, but advocates say the work is far from finished.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pedestrian safety study A new report shows improvements in pedestrian safety data for the Orlando metro area. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real possibility that with all the efforts, combined with vehicle technology improving, that we\u2019re going to see zero deaths and serious injuries by 2050,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n

Six Florida regions \u2014 including two in Central Florida \u2014 fared worse than Orlando in the most recent data<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville was the 11th most dangerous place for pedestrians; Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach was 14th.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here<\/a> to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

TOP STORIES FROM WFTV CHANNEL 9<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 The deadliest place in the United States for pedestrians \u2014 it\u2019s a dubious distinction the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[131264,50380,131263,131265,131261,1059,98875,51361,2652,13333,2345,28,131260,4569,1975,634,115,89958,139,141,140,32389,2647,98017,7219,13822,82808,1045,131259,131262],"class_list":["post-315636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-_daytona_beach","tag-_florida","tag-_melbourne_titusville","tag-_ormond_beach","tag-alafayette_trail","tag-alexa_lorenzo","tag-bike_walk","tag-carl_willis","tag-central_florida","tag-daytona","tag-fdot","tag-florida","tag-holden_avenue","tag-i-4","tag-kissimmee","tag-local","tag-news","tag-orange_blossom_trail","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-palm_bay","tag-sanford","tag-smart_growth_america","tag-ucf","tag-united_states","tag-university_boulevard","tag-video","tag-vince_dyer","tag-vision_zero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}