Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1412
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       8-01079C-21                                           20211412__
    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 by a Florida licensed professional
   43  engineer which recommends the installation of such crosswalk.
   44         (b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary:
   45         1.A pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway, street, or
   46  road that has a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or more
   47  which is located at any point other than at an intersection with
   48  another public highway, street, or road must conform to the
   49  requirements of chapters 4D and 4E of the most recent Manual on
   50  Uniform Traffic Control Devices and other applicable Department
   51  of Transportation standards, manuals, and specifications and
   52  must include a pedestrian-facing sign containing language
   53  stating duties applicable to a pedestrian, as provided in this
   54  chapter.
   55         2.A pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway, street, or
   56  road that has a posted speed limit of 29 miles per hour or less
   57  which is located at any point other than at an intersection with
   58  another public highway, street, or road must include a
   59  pedestrian-facing sign containing language stating duties
   60  applicable to a pedestrian, as provided in this chapter.
   61         (c)Traffic control signal devices and pedestrian control
   62  signals at crosswalk locations described in subparagraph (b)1.
   63  must be coordinated with traffic control signal devices at
   64  intersections adjacent to the crosswalk, and such traffic
   65  control signal devices at intersections adjacent to the
   66  crosswalk must be taken into consideration as provided in the
   67  most recent Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and other
   68  applicable Department of Transportation specifications.
   69         (2) By October 1, 2024, the entity with jurisdiction over a
   70  public highway, street, or road with a crosswalk described in
   71  subsection (1) which is in existence on October 1, 2021, shall
   72  ensure that such crosswalk is controlled by coordinated traffic
   73  control signal devices and pedestrian control signals as
   74  required under subsection (1). Alternatively, the entity with
   75  jurisdiction may remove any such existing crosswalk.
   76         (3)By October 1, 2022, the Department of Transportation
   77  shall submit to the Federal Government a request for
   78  authorization to allow yellow rectangular rapid flashing beacon
   79  traffic control devices to be replaced by red rectangular rapid
   80  flashing beacon traffic control devices. If the Federal
   81  Government grants the request, the applicable entity must
   82  replace all yellow rectangular rapid flashing beacon traffic
   83  control devices at each crosswalk described in subsection (1) or
   84  subsection (2) with red rectangular rapid flashing beacon
   85  traffic control devices within 12 months after the date of
   86  federal authorization. If the Federal Government denies the
   87  request, the applicable entity must remove all yellow
   88  rectangular rapid flashing beacon traffic control devices from
   89  each crosswalk described in subsection (1) or subsection (2) by
   90  October 1, 2025.
   91         Section 3. The Legislature finds and declares that this act
   92  fulfills an important state interest.
   93         Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2021.