The Florida Department of Transportation granted funding to UNF’s Institute of Police Technology and Management for a project designed to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

IPTM provides training to law enforcement agencies in counties that have high traffic crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists. IPTM and FDOT are adding additional, highly visible enforcement to help decrease fatalities involving pedestrians. This is all apart of FDOT’s “Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow” campaign.

The top 25 priority counties for this grant are Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Broward, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Leon, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe , Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia.

UNF Police Chief Francis Mackesy has taken interest in this program. “UNFPD is working with the grant administrator to try and obtain grant funds for an increased educational program as it relates to pedestrian, skateboarding and bicycle safety on our campus,” Mackesy explained. “Although UNF is bicycle, skateboard and pedestrian friendly, we do have, from time to time, incidents that occur.”

Mackesy and the rest of UNFPD hopes to see this project implemented at UNF so the students here can get the benefits of road safety.

“If awarded the opportunity to participate in the FDOT grant, I believe the education and enforcement pieces of the grant can better prepare our students, faculty and staff to be more aware not only on campus but off the UNF campus as well,” Mackesy said.

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