Orange County is moving to bolster pedestrian safety, with a $25 million earmarked for 26 miles of new sidewalks as part of the broader Accelerated Transportation Safety Program. Drawing funds from sales tax revenue, Orange County leaders are pouring $100 million into addressing transportation needs over the next five years, of which $55 million is dedicated to roadmap lighting, sidewalks, and pedestrian safety projects.
Concerned with pedestrian incidents, the county sees these new sidewalks as a severe step towards reducing the chances of such conflicts. In a statement detailed by Orange County Newsroom, Engineer II Eric Haertjens from Orange County Public Works Engineering said, "Sidewalks provide a safe path for pedestrians to walk along rather than walking directly along a given roadway." However, in the initiative's rollout, pedestrians are responsible for their safety, which Haertjens stressed, just as drivers need to be vigilant about the presence of pedestrians.
According to Orange County Newsroom, Haertjens advised the public in his statement to use marked crosswalks as part of the pedestrian safety awareness. They reminded drivers that yielding to pedestrians crossing the road is courteous and a matter of state law. "You should also use signed or marked crosswalks to cross roads wherever possible, just as drivers should remember it’s state law to yield to pedestrians crossing the road," he mentioned the importance of following these guidelines to ensure higher safety levels.
The public can visit the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program website to stay informed about Orange County's strides towards improved transportation safety, such as the progress on the new sidewalks or other related projects. Here, a comprehensive list of all the ongoing and planned initiatives can be accessed.
