Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter calls for more pedestrian, bicyclist safety

Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter is calling on the city and county governments to do more for pedestrian and cyclist safety.

The first-term commissioner held a press conference in front of City Hall on Tuesday in light of the death of a recent Florida State student.

Nearly two weeks ago, FSU student Elizabeth "Ellie" Sims was killed in a hit-and-run collision near Pensacola and Lorene streets. The death thrust the campus community into mourning and led to calls for heightened pedestrian safety.

Also, more than 22,000 people signed a change.org petition to add a traffic light to that West Pensacola Street intersection where she was killed after being struck in a crosswalk.

"We know that the hidden cost of high speed (and) sprawling roads is really the danger that they present to our residents," Porter said.

Porter pointed to statistics from the Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard: Since 2020, there have been 50 cyclist and pedestrian deaths in Leon County. In that same time period, the state agency counted 246 injuries from traffic accidents in the capital county involving bicyclists and 617 injured pedestrians.

"At a recent City Commission meeting, I made the motion which passed unanimously to explore joining Vision Zero, a network of cities committed to eliminating all traffic fatalities, and investing in equitable mobility for all people," Porter said.

"One such community – Hoboken, New Jersey – achieved zero traffic deaths in four years using common sense, straightforward solutions, like improving sight lines and visibility on corners and intersections," Porter added.

Porter offered a list of some of the steps that could be taken to ensure pedestrian and cyclist safety, such as pedestrian intervals on crosswalks, protected bike lanes, high visibility crosswalk markings, pedestrian activated stoplights and raised crosswalks.

With Porter were members of Florida A&M's student government, Student Body President Loryn May and Chief of Staff Elijah Hooks. May said they were there to show people that the student population is involved in the community and cares.

"I urge every student and citizen to make a pledge to pay attention to the road to prioritize safety," May said. "Let's unite in our commitment for safer roads for our students."

What's next

• The city commission will have their next meeting on Wednesday in City Hall at 3 p.m.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at aotero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jack Porter urges local government to better protect pedestrians