South Florida

Wilton Manors to Start Ticketing Jaywalkers

Officials in Wilton Manors are taking a bold step in hopes of making one of the most dangerous streets in South Florida a lot safer.

Police say that more than 80-percent of city accidents involving pedestrians since 2009 have taken place along Wilton Drive and four other corridors — Oakland Park Boulevard, Andrews Avenue, Powerline Road and Northeast Sixth Avenue.

Wilton Manors has had six pedestrian fatalities since 2009. And now police officers are going to start ticketing jaywalkers.

The State Department of Transportation hasn't allowed the city to add extra paint or signage to crosswalks, but the city's mayor says officers are being extra vigilant to cite both pedestrians and drivers for not following the rules of the road.

"We're a very pedestrian friendly city, and we have a lot of crosswalks, and the sidewalks are very easy to use but... people do what they want to do," said Mayor Gary Resnick.

Police have been conducting a pedestrian educational campaign since April, handing out more than a hundred verbal or written warnings to people violating street-crossing regulations - and more than 10 citations for "blatant" infractions.

On Friday, police plan to start writing tickets, both for pedestrian violators and for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. The stepped up enforcement will run through July 5.

Police say even pedestrians who get hit by a car can be cited if they're at fault.

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