JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “I keep a picture of Katie in my wallet, I think about her every long ride, almost every ride I go on,” Teresa said Saturday.
Teresa is just one of many and has been hit by a car herself, left with a broken leg and her own trauma.
According to data provided by the pedestrian safety organization Bike Walk Jax, 471 people have lost their lives to traffic crashes in Jacksonville between 2022 and 2024.
In fact, Jacksonville was ranked in the top-15 most dangerous cities nationwide for pedestrians in 2024, as reported in Smart Growth America’s biannual “Dangerous by Design” report.
“I ride my bike every day, I commute to work, I rode here from St. Augustine to be here, and I am constantly seeing people on their phones or not paying attention,” Rose added.
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Saturday morning for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, loved ones of those who have lost their lives to traffic fatalities in Duval County spoke alongside city leaders to keep the names alive of their loved ones.
However, loved ones of those lost also demanded change from a city they say still has a lot of work to do in roadway and pedestrian safety.
“I’m working with the state of Florida to make sure that we have Beaver Street potentially as a protected bike lane, Liberty Street is a bike lane now, we need to make that a protected bike lane,” Jacksonville city councilman Jimmy Peluso reassured at Saturday’s event. “This is what we need to be doing to make sure families feel comfortable. That’s of paramount importance.”
Peluso also added that he’s discussed with city officials the idea of adding more speeding cameras to school zones across the city.
“I think a lot of people are intrigued by it,” Peluso acknowledged. “And if it’s a way to make sure we slow down traffic by our schools, that is paramount.”
Peluso did say, however, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is still working through funding logistics for any possible speeding camera expansions.
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