Keith Robbins, FDOT Safety Administrator, came to HP on April 28. He presented the FDOT Target Zero program to reduce “crashes” by reinforcing a traffic safety culture. FDOT maintains that many vehicle “accidents” are not accidents, but crashes that can be averted with new behavior. Behavioral hazards like speeding, impaired driving, and not wearing a seat belt all contribute to most traffic crashes. 36% of fatalities are due to impaired driving, 12% from speeding, and 33% from unrestrained occupants. District 1 stretches from Polk County to Lee County and, unfortunately, Fort Myers is one of three hot spots in the district.
Along with behavior education, FDOT utilizes engineering tactics like rumble strips and roundabouts, as well as resurfacing and lighting, to improve areas that show concentrated areas of crashes. An interesting fact: roundabouts do not shut down traffic during a storm or hurricane power loss. Keith and his staff are convinced of the effectiveness and efficiency of Diamond Exchanges in reducing fatalities and keeping traffic moving.
Members questioned the back up of traffic prior to the exchange and John (Traffic Engineer) said they have no control over side roads that tend to stop the flow, like the one at McDonald’s on Six Mile Cypress. If they could divert that traffic at the Dani Drive intersection, it would improve the flow.
