Florida Senate - 2021 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
Bill No. SB 1412
Ì289006&Î289006
576-03913-21
Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
(Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to traffic and pedestrian safety;
3 providing a short title; creating s. 316.0756, F.S.;
4 requiring a traffic engineering study to be conducted
5 which recommends installation of a specified
6 pedestrian crosswalk before such installation occurs;
7 requiring a pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway,
8 street, or road which is located at any point other
9 than at an intersection with another public highway,
10 street, or road to conform to specified requirements;
11 providing coordination requirements for certain
12 devices and signals; requiring that traffic control
13 signal devices at adjacent intersections be taken into
14 consideration; requiring, by a specified date, the
15 entity with jurisdiction over a public highway,
16 street, or road with a certain pedestrian crosswalk to
17 ensure that the crosswalk conforms to specified
18 requirements; authorizing such entity, alternatively,
19 to remove any such crosswalk; requiring, by a
20 specified date, the Department of Transportation to
21 submit a certain request for authorization to the
22 Federal Government; requiring applicable entities to
23 replace specified traffic control devices within a
24 specified timeframe after the date of federal
25 authorization; requiring applicable entities to remove
26 specified traffic control devices by a specified date
27 under certain conditions; providing a declaration of
28 important state interest; providing an effective date.
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
32 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Sophia Nelson
33 Pedestrian Safety Act.”
34 Section 2. Section 316.0756, Florida Statutes, is created
35 to read:
36 316.0756 Traffic control signal devices and pedestrian
37 control signals at crosswalks other than at intersections.—
38 (1)(a) Before the installation of a pedestrian crosswalk
39 after October 1, 2021, on a public highway, street, or road
40 which is located at any point other than at an intersection with
41 another public highway, street, or road, a traffic engineering
42 study must be conducted, signed, and sealed by a Florida
43 licensed professional engineer which recommends the installation
44 of such crosswalk.
45 (b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary:
46 1. A pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway, street, or
47 road that has a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or more
48 which is located at any point other than at an intersection with
49 another public highway, street, or road must conform to the
50 requirements of chapters 4D, 4E, and 4F of the most recent
51 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and other applicable
52 Department of Transportation standards, manuals, and
53 specifications and must include a pedestrian-facing sign
54 containing language stating duties applicable to a pedestrian,
55 as provided in this chapter.
56 2. A pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway, street, or
57 road that has a posted speed limit of 29 miles per hour or less
58 which is located at any point other than at an intersection with
59 another public highway, street, or road must include a
60 pedestrian-facing sign containing language stating duties
61 applicable to a pedestrian, as provided in this chapter.
62 (c) Traffic control signal devices and pedestrian control
63 signals at crosswalk locations described in subparagraph (b)1.
64 must be coordinated with traffic control signal devices at
65 intersections adjacent to the crosswalk, and such traffic
66 control signal devices at intersections adjacent to the
67 crosswalk must be taken into consideration as provided in the
68 most recent Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and other
69 applicable Department of Transportation standards, manuals, and
70 specifications.
71 (2) By October 1, 2024, the entity with jurisdiction over a
72 public highway, street, or road with a crosswalk described in
73 subsection (1) which is in existence on October 1, 2021, shall
74 ensure that such crosswalk is controlled by coordinated traffic
75 control signal devices and pedestrian control signals as
76 required under subsection (1). Alternatively, the entity with
77 jurisdiction may remove any such existing crosswalk.
78 (3) By October 1, 2022, the Department of Transportation
79 shall submit to the Federal Government a request for
80 authorization to allow yellow rectangular rapid flashing beacon
81 traffic control devices to be replaced by red rectangular rapid
82 flashing beacon traffic control devices. If the Federal
83 Government grants the request, the applicable entity must
84 replace all yellow rectangular rapid flashing beacon traffic
85 control devices at each crosswalk described in subsection (1) or
86 subsection (2) with red rectangular rapid flashing beacon
87 traffic control devices within 12 months after the date of
88 federal authorization. If the Federal Government denies the
89 request, the applicable entity must remove all yellow
90 rectangular rapid flashing beacon traffic control devices from
91 each crosswalk described in subsection (1) or subsection (2) by
92 October 1, 2025.
93 Section 3. The Legislature finds and declares that this act
94 fulfills an important state interest.
95 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2021.