- April 18, 2024
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A study by Smart Growth America has identified the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area as the deadliest in the country.
The organization’s Dangerous by Design 2022 report outlines that the local metro area averaged 4.25 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people a year, with 140 people killed between 2016 and 2020. Smart Growth America also reported that the average fatality rate for 2016-2020 worsened compared to 2011-2015: 81 metro areas saw higher fatality rates, and only 19 saw improvement, “albeit with marginal decreases,” the organization stated in a press release.
“The number of people killed while walking has increased by nearly two-thirds in the last decade with thousands of Americans struck and killed every year,” said Calvin Gladney, President and CEO of Smart Growth America. “This is an epidemic and unsafe road design is a major culprit. We need to improve roads so that no one has to risk their life when crossing the street.”
Florida was also deemed the second deadliest state. New Mexico was the at the top of the list.
This is not the first time the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area has made it on Smart Growth America’s list of most dangerous metro areas. However, the organization did change its methodology this year, citing the pandemic’s impact on commuting and travel patterns. Therefore, 2022’s rankings are not comparable to previous editions, the press release states.
The Dangerous by Design report found that more pedestrians were killed nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as people drove less. The organization attributed that to an increase in driving speeds, a factor of having less cars on the road. Smart Growth America expects the pandemic to have long-lasting impacts on commuting and traffic patterns. The study also found that Black pedestrians are twice as likely to be hit and killed than white pedestrians.
Smart Growth America advocates for safety improvements in road design, and Beth Osborne, vice president of Transportation and Thriving Communities at Smart Growth America, said every metro area in the U.S. is too dangerous for pedestrians.
“The U.S. has more pedestrian deaths across the board than almost all other developed countries — so what’s the difference?” Osborne said. “We all had less driving during COVID. We all have reckless, drunk, stressed, or distracted drivers. The difference is that they design their roads for safety and we design ours for speed. We keep looking for other reasons, but design is what makes our roads deadlier for pedestrians.”
Traffic calming measures to improve safety and walkability are included in the city’s proposed capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2022-2023 to 2026-2027, which was presented to the City Commission during a workshop on June 7.
A total of $50,000 is planned to be set aside each fiscal year for neighborhood traffic calming projects, such as new speed tables. The city is planning to install raised pedestrian crosswalks and radar feedback signs in the downtown district, as well as four new radar feedback signs — two at each end of the Granada Bridge, according to the CIP.
The next Ormond Beach City Commission meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 19 at city hall.
Per the city’s monthly development report, published on July 5, the commission could review two new projects — a car wash at 55 North Nova Road, and a 310-unit apartment complex at 215 Williamson Boulevard — as well as two special exceptions. The agendas are typically finalized and released to the public on the Friday before the commission meeting.
Both the car wash and the apartment complex project will come before the commission with a recommendation for approval from the city’s Planning Board. The vote for the apartments was unanimous; the car wash received a split vote of 3-2.
The two special exceptions are for the Ormond Memorial Art Museum, which seeks to add one more wall sign and permission to have live outdoor music between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., as part of a scheduled outdoor event.
There will also be a budget workshop at 5:30 p.m. in conference room 103.
All Volusia County Schools students will receive free school breakfast and lunch for the 2022-2023 school year, announced the district on Tuesday.
According to VCS, this is a result of the district using the Community Eligibility Provision under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the school year. Families will not have to fill out the family income applications for free and reduced-price meals this year.
The timeline for the relocation of Volusia County Fire Station 18 — to be renamed Fire Station 47 — is to be determined, as the county continues its search for property. The station is currently located at 500 Rodeo Road.
Per the county’s capital project schedule update, to be presented to the council on Tuesday, July 19, the design process has started. The county is estimating the project to cost $7.3 million.
