News

By Rich Pollack

    With the season just around the corner and more people taking to South Florida’s roadways, some law enforcement agencies along Palm Beach County’s coast are gearing up educational and enforcement efforts designed to keep pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists safe.
    Those using State Road A1A in Highland Beach, Ocean Ridge and surrounding areas can expect in coming weeks to see an increased police emphasis on ensuring that motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians know applicable laws and follow them.
    “We’re trying to do what we can to ensure that everyone shares the road safely and in accordance with the law,” says Highland Beach Police Lt. Eric Lundberg.
    Highland Beach’s police officers have stepped up their monitoring of bicycle clubs that ride through town on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on weekend mornings and are also making a point to educate residents and visitors about the importance of pedestrian safety.
    “We’re trying to make sure they’re crossing the road safely,” Lundberg said, adding that there have been instances where pedestrians have stepped into traffic — in crosswalks and outside of crosswalks — expecting cars to stop.  
    Lundberg said that while pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk, it’s essential for them to make sure that the driver of the approaching vehicle sees them and plans to stop.
    “You can be right, but you can also be dead right,” he said.
    Highland Beach police have been teaming up with Florida Highway Patrol troopers on a quarterly basis for stepped-up enforcement efforts. During a weekend in late September, nine troopers, including several on motorcycles, were out in force on State Road A1A, issuing warnings and tickets, with an emphasis on bicycle and pedestrian safety.
    Over that weekend, troopers issued 25 written warnings, six tickets and five verbal warnings. Seventeen of the 25 written warnings were issued to bicyclists.
    In Ocean Ridge, Police Chief Hal Hutchins says his department plans to increase its bicycle, pedestrian and motorist education and enforcement efforts during the season thanks in part to state funds likely to be made available through a grant.
    Hutchins said the department has received tentative approval of a grant request that would make it possible for the department to have an enhanced presence during certain hours, with officers specifically assigned to ensure roadways are being safely shared.
    “We’re going to start out with warnings and with handing out educational materials and then we’ll progress to enforcement,” he said. “If we see voluntary compliance and understanding of the law, we may never have to get to the enforcement stage and I think that should be our goal.”
    The efforts of law enforcement to educate those sharing roads such as State Road A1A are being endorsed by Human Powered Delray, which advocates making roadways safer.
    “We strongly support what police are doing to educate bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists about the need to respect each other’s rights,” said the nonprofit organization’s President Jim Chard. “What a police presence does is provide awareness.”
    Chard said he often talks to guests at Delray Beach’s GreenMarket in the Park who say they don’t ride their bicycles as much as they’d like.
    “I hear people say ‘it’s just not safe here,’ ” he said. “We’re working hard to change that.”
    Chard said his organization is working on several initiatives to improve safety, including advocating for more bike lanes and conducting safety seminars.
    “What police are doing is positive and we support it,” Chard said. “But it’s not nearly enough.”
    Police departments in both Ocean Ridge and Highland Beach are members of the South Florida Safe Roads Task Force, as are most other police departments serving residents in the coastal communities.
    In 2014, the task force organized two major saturation efforts along State Road A1A — one in September and one in April — focused on bicycle, pedestrian and motorist safety.
    Lundberg, who helped organize the task force, says the group is in the process of planning education and enforcement efforts for 2016 that could include more saturation enforcement.
    “Our goal is to restore compliance with Florida laws and protect everyone on the road,” he said.