The initiative started in October with an educational phase, and now University of South Florida Police are stepping it up with the ticketing phase, cracking down on pedestrians who aren’t doing the right things on campus.
USF Police received a grant from Florida’s Department of Transportation to not only train officers on pedestrian and cyclist safety, but also allow for designated officers to spend time specifically targeting pedestrians each week.
Since entering the ticketing phase last week, officers have only issued one pedestrian a citation. University officials say the program isn’t necessarily about making money, but rather sending a clear message to students that they need to be mindful when walking on campus.
Students said cars are creating problems, too, and officers will be cracking down on drivers who don’t stop at crosswalks and yield for pedestrians as well.
“Some crazy people, they just go too fast, they don’t even pay attention that there’s a crosswalk and they’re probably on the phone as well…it’s really dangerous, especially if they hit someone at that speed, they might kill them,” said USF student Abdullah Aljubayri.
The grant runs through May, but USF Police say their officers will continue using the training they received as part of the program, and will continue focusing on pedestrian and cyclists safety.