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MAYOR BAKER GIVES KEYNOTE ADDRESS REVEALING
BEST PEDESTRIAN SAFETY TURNAROUND IN COUNTRY

St. Petersburg, Fla. (January 29, 2008) - Mayor Rick Baker will give the keynote address at the “Getting Transportation & Land Use Decisions that Create Walkable Communities with Mobility Choices”, a joint workshop sponsored by Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP) and Center for Neighborhood Technology in Orlando, on Wednesday, January 30. The STPP organization is same group that has in past years categorized the Tampa Bay area near the top of its list of worst communities for pedestrian safety.

Mayor Baker was chosen to kickoff the conference based on successful policies implemented in St. Petersburg designed at improving pedestrian safety. "St. Petersburg has gone from being at the top of the Mean Streets list to becoming one of the best safety turnaround stories in America. We've
invited Mayor Baker to be the keynote speaker at our national workshop on integrating land-use and transportation in Orlando to tell St. Petersburg's story." Anne Canby, President, Surface Transportation Policy Partnership.

In 2003, under Mayor Baker's direction, the City Council adopted the CityTrails Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan aimed at improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in St. Petersburg. To date, pedestrian crashes have been reduced by 17 percent each year, and bicyclist crashes have been reduced by 15 percent each year since 2004, earning the city a “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation from the League of American Bicyclists in 2006. Additionally, St. Petersburg was the first community in the nation to install the Enhancer, a rapid-flashing beacon at marked crosswalks. These devices are continuing to average over 80 percent driver-yielding compliance, making it significantly easier for residents and visitors alike to cross the road at unsignalized locations. The City has also made additional improvements such as installing countdown pedestrian signals and enhanced markings and traffic signs for mid-block crosswalks throughout St. Petersburg.

More recently, the city has updated its Land Development Regulations that include policies aimed at continuing the success of the CityTrails program in encouraging developments that are sustainable and encourage mobility choices. “We are pleased that St. Petersburg’s City Trails program has become a national model for pedestrian safety,” said Mayor Rick Baker.

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