Item 3A AGENDA ITEM # 3A
NOVEMBER 8, 2010
November 1, 2010
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jim Hans
�Ci�y Manager '�
SUBJECT: Follow -up eport
Traffic Safety Related to Mayport Medians; At the last city commission meeting, a citizen
raised a concern about traffic safety after the completion of the Mayport Median Project. A
letter was sent to the citizen after that meeting with information about the number of accidents on
Mayport Road before and after the median project. The information is significant enough that it
is appropriate to report it to the City Commission.
One of the major reasons that the City of Atlantic Beach supported the project to add medians
along Mayport Road was to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. Over many years, there had
been numerous traffic accidents, a high number of pedestrian injuries, and several deaths.
Nationwide statistics showed that the installation of divided highway medians increased traffic
safety and reduced the number of overall accidents by approximately 30 percent and the number
of pedestrian related accidents by approximately 60 percent.
The results in Atlantic Beach have confirmed the nationwide statistics. The construction of the
medians was done during 2008 with a ceremonial "ribbon cutting" event in December. Accident
statistics from 2007 and 2009 are the most appropriate figures to compare. The number of traffic
accidents dropped from 78 in 2007 to 56 in 2009. This was a reduction of 22 accidents per year
or 28 percent. The reduction in pedestrian related accidents was much greater. In 2007 there
were seven pedestrian related accidents, but only one in 2009. This was a reduction of 85
percent. Keep in mind that all these numbers are only for the portions of Mayport Road that are
in Atlantic Beach. The reduction in total number of accidents and pedestrian injuries would be
much greater adding statistics from the City of Jacksonville.