Sarah Merly
Key Points
- Bike/Walk Central Florida's 2026 pedestrian safety initiatives have helped reduce Central Florida's status as a leading pedestrian fatality city.
- The 2026 driver yield rate at key Apopka intersections increased to 40% and 45%, with citations issued on March 12 enforcement day.
- Officials identified the Welch Road and Rock Springs Road intersection as critical for student safety and plan further engineering evaluations.
Bike/Walk Central Florida’s executive director Emily Bush shared findings from the nonprofit’s 2026 pedestrian safety initiatives at Wednesday night’s Apopka City Commission meeting.
“Central Florida, for the longest time, was one of the leading pedestrian fatality cities in the country, and so we want to reduce that,” she said. “We are now trending off that list.”
Bike/Walk Central Florida educates citizens on state driver yield laws through sign waving and appearances at community events. The nonprofit also sends data collectors to crosswalks to record observations, flag safe stopping distances, stage crossings at different times of day, and visit monthly to observe any changes.
Earlier this year, Bike/Walk also held its awareness campaign, Operation Best Foot Forward (BFF), which partners with local law enforcement.
“During the operation, plainclothes officers will cross at marked crosswalks while drivers are given adequate time to stop as required by law,” said a BFF news release. “Drivers who fail to yield may receive a minimum $164 citation and three points on their license.”
In fiscal year 2026, Bike/Walk measured the driver yield rate at four Apopka intersections. Two of those intersections, Jason Dwelley Parkway/Brush Drive and E. Eighth St./W. Orange Trail, were also measured last fiscal year, increasing to 40% and 45%, respectively. The BFF enforcement day on March 12 at the Jason Dwelley Parkway/Brush Drive intersection saw four warnings and five citations issued.
Wednesday night’s slideshow listed three 2026 community outreach events in Apopka, including the Apopka Rotary Club’s Fair and Car Show, the Art and Foliage Festival, and a sign-waving event at the Park Ave./Summit St. intersection. Bike/Walk distributed the most materials at the Art and Foliage Festival and reached 450 people at the sign-waving event.
Mayor Nick Nesta and Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez noted the need for improvement at the intersection of Welch Road and Rock Springs Road.
“We have a large group of students that come from that Rock Springs Road community that have to cross that in order to get to Dream Lake [Elementary],” Velazquez said.
Bush said Bike/Walk had identified the crossing as a critical intersection in its active transportation study, but further action would be determined by the city.
“We would really look to staff to kind of do a deeper dive into what those actual engineering permits might be,” Bush said.