ORLANDO, Fla. – Crossing in a crosswalk, crossing at a corner, and pushing the push-to-cross button is not only a good idea, it may earn you a free lunch.
Orlando police officers on motorcycles are regularly targeting the most dangerous intersections in Orlando, armed with ticket books, educational pamphlets, and Chick-fil-A gift cards.
Those who obey the rules get a gift card.
Those who break the rules get a warning. Or, for pedestrians, a $62 ticket for not crossing at a corner. Or, for drivers, a $116 ticket for entering a crosswalk with a pedestrian in it.
"The city of Orlando, or Metro Orlando, we have a high pedestrian fatality rate when it comes to vehicle and pedestrian crashes, so that's why we're really out here to see if we can reduce those numbers of crashes," said Sgt. Darren Dillon.
Orlando police are taking advantage of a State of Florida high-visibility pedestrian safety grant awarded to OPD from Tallahassee. After educating and then warning, the grant is now in its final phase: enforcement.
Last Wednesday, police and News 6 spent the morning at Orange Avenue and Michigan Avenue.
Cameras were rolling as a man crossed busy Orange Ave. in the middle of a block, and then had to wait in the median for several minutes before traffic cleared and he could complete the crossing.
Sgt. Dillon stopped him.
"Come over here a second!" directed Dillon. "The reason why I'm stopping you is there's no pedestrian safety control device to cross the road. So you should go down to Michigan and cross the road."
The man said he was late for work.
"I gotcha," said Dillon, "But did it feel comfortable standing in the middle of the road? Cars going that way, cars going this way? $62. Things to think about."
Dillon decided not to give the man a ticket but rather just a warning.
"We're making the streets safer, that's our ultimate goal, for pedestrians and motorists out here," said Dillon.
Another pedestrian crossed at an intersection and waited for the walk signal after pushing the button.
"Thank you for pushing the button, we appreciate it," said Dillon as he handed the man a gift card. "We're out here doing a little positive reinforcement for the people who do follow the rules."
Dillon said one of most dangerous scenarios is when drivers turning right don't look to see if a pedestrian is on the curb or has entered the crosswalk.
"They're not paying attention because they're distracted either on their cellphones or texting, and then they're just driving with subconscious and make the right turn and not looking for the pedestrian," said Dillon.
OPD said this is the third year in a row that OPD has been awarded the grant. The grant ends next month but police promise to continue the pedestrian safety enforcement.