NEWS RELEASE — On Sept. 8, MyEscambia.com asked residents to complete an online survey to gauge the communities' thoughts and ideas about road conditions in the county.

It was the second in a series of articles, videos, public meetings and surveys developed to help in planning for local option sales tax projects.

The results of , “Envision Escambia 2028: Traffic Safety” are outlined below.

Question # 1: In which area of Escambia County do you currently live?

Twenty-eight percent of respondents to our second survey live north of Nine Mile Road, with close to 15 percent living between Cantonment and the Alabama state line. Another 20 percent came from the extreme southern portion of the County on Pensacola Beach. Nearly 9.5 percent lived in between Nine Mile Road and I-10. Over 7.3 percent of respondents were from Perdido Key and another 7.3 percent represented the neighborhoods in the area East of Palafox, South of Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard to the Escambia Bay on the East and Pensacola Bay on the South. No area of Escambia County was unrepresented in this survey.

Question # 2: What are the biggest Traffic Safety Problems in Escambia County?

• 52.69 percent = Distracted drivers.
• 47.31 percent = Drivers who don't obey speed limits and/or drive aggressively.
• 39.78 percent = There are not enough bike lanes and/or sidewalks.
• 35.48 percent = There is too much traffic.
• 26.88 percent = The poor condition of roads leads to accidents.
• 13.98 percent = There is no where to pull over if you have car trouble.
• 4.3 percent = I don't have any serious concerns about traffic safety.

Comments included:

"Northbound Pine Forest needs to widen/bike lanes and four lanes. Roberts Road and Pine Forest intersection needs to be a four way stop with flashing red lights in all four directions."

"Need another north/south artery besides 29. What happened to the roads envisioned in the Optional Sector Plan."

"So many 'local' roads feel and are designed for higher speeds ..."

"The exits going onto and coming off of I-10 to Cantonment. Going from I-10 to 29 is a nightmare."

"Too many unsynchronized lights."

Question #3: If you walk or bicycle on county roads, have you ever felt your personal safety was threatened by motorists?

• 57.89 percent = Yes
• 4.21 percent = No
• 37.89 percent = I don't walk or bicycle on county roads.

Question #4: Do you encounter unpaved roads in your daily driving routine?

• 3.23 percent = Yes, I live off an unpaved road.
• 11.83 percent = Yes, I drive an unpaved road at least once per month.
• 84.95 percent = No, I rarely or never encounter unpaved roads.

Question #5: Since the advent of local option sales tax in 1992, almost 250 miles of roads have been paved bringing asphalt to residents throughout the County. Approximately $8 million will be spent over the next three years to continue paving eligible dirt roads. Do you think this is a good expenditure of LOST dollars?

• 82.42 percent = Yes.
• 17.58 percent = No

"However, I do no think LOST money should be used to 4-lane a state road like Perdido Key Dr. SR 292"

"I believe there are other pressing issues in the county that the tax dollars could be spent on."

"Maintaining unpaved roads are a higher cost in the long run. Unpaved roads are more likely to damage vehicles and are generally less safe."

"Paving dirt roads lessens the llikelihood of having red clay wash into local waterways. Clay seriously deteriorates water quality in or bays and bayous."

"I don't like asphalt ... but it is certainly better than mud and dust and ruts and all else that goues with dirt roads."

Question #6: Several major road-widening projects are in the planning stages or under construction throughout the county. Some of these projects are funded by local option sales tax dollars and some are projects being conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation. Several common reasons for supporting road-widening projects are given below, as well as several concerns regarding road-widening. Please tell us whether or not you agree with the following statements.

Almost 71 percent of respondents who answered this question felt that roadways with wider lanes and paved shoulders had lower accident rates and close to 90 percent felt that adding shoulders to roads where they do not previously exist provides disabled vehicles with a place to stop safety. More than 70 percent also felt that wider lanes allowed drivers to better see pedestrians and bicyclists, while 74 percent agreed that adding shoulders to roads provided bicyclists and others a way to safely share the road with motorists. Fewer, but still the majority with 54.6 percent, said they felt that widening roads supported economic development and was good for job growth.

Only 23 percent of survey respondents felt that widening lanes made roads more dangerous by encouraging increased speeds and 25.5 percent said they thought that road widening fuels new development at the expense of existing residents and businesses.

Question #7: Do you have any additional comments questions or concerns?

"Gulf Beach Highway needs to be widened or 4 laned. The traffic is horrible and dangerous!"

"Traffic is too fast on South Navy Blvd."

"Consider an LDC requirement that new sprawl residential developments include additional roadway connectors ..."

"Synch lights and add left and right turn lanes."

"The light at Casino Beach is a problem especially during a big event."

"Highway 29 is a nightmare on my drive to work."

"I am an avid cyclist but I refuse to ride on many roads in the county due to a near-guarantee of being struck or threatened by a motorist."

"How is increased traffic to/from the new bay bridge going to be handled?"

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