PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Area continues to be one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians.
A recent report placed the Tampa Bay Area as eighth in the nation for pedestrian deaths.
"Conservatively, I've rode about 450,000 miles in my life," said John Sinibaldi.
Sinibaldi loves bicycling around St. Pete and has seen many crashes involving pedestrians.
“All because someone for a moment took their eyes off the road and wasn’t paying attention," said Sinibaldi.
A recent report called Dangerous by Design conducted by Smart Growth America, ranks the Tampa Bay Area as eighth in the nation for pedestrian deaths.
"It’s a little bit disappointing because we are doing some great things but I think that we can be doing more," said Kristen Ehrlich with Connect Pinellas.
According to the report, the Tampa Bay Area had 618 pedestrian deaths between 2020 and 2024.
Kristen Ehrlich with an organization called Connect Pinellas said it’s not surprising, and it’s impacting tourism.
“People come here to be outside, and a really big part of that is the pedestrian experience, the ability to walk around and cross roads," said Ehrlich.
She said pedestrian safety goes hand in hand with cyclist safety. Sinibaldi has been hit twice by a car while on his bike.
"I'm very fortunate that I'm still here, total of 17 broken bones, eleven hospitalizations, nine surgeries including two lower back surgeries," said Sinibaldi.
Ehrlich said her organization is campaigning for more funding from the City of St. Pete to make roads safer for both pedestrians and bicyclists.
“More crosswalks, also some cycling infrastructure and some in places, redesigning how the traffic flow is," said Ehrlich.
Sinibaldi has done all he can to make sure he is safe while on the road…he installed cameras and lights on his bike.
He hopes the Tampa Bay Area becomes a safer place for pedestrians.
“I don't know what the magic solution would be, if I could wave a magic wand, it would be to get motorists and cyclists to pay attention when they are out there," said Sinibaldi.
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