DUNEDIN, Fla. - Pedestrian safety is top of mind for traffic engineers.  

By using three main points - engineering, education and enforcement - planners hope to reduce the number of traffic-related fatalities to zero.

For example, the crosswalk on Union Street and New York Avenue in Dunedin serves two nearby schools and several soccer fields.   

“There’s a lot of children that live in these apartments right here and they play soccer here on these fields in the evening,” said Dunedin resident Scott Robinson.

Robinson says many times drivers seem to ignore the people in the crosswalk, driving right through.

Then again, once the sun goes down, the drivers might have a reason they don't see the kids.

“There’s no lights above here in the crosswalk area,” Robinson said.

And with sunset at roughly 5:30 p.m. this time of year, that leaves a lot of kids trying to cross the busy road with little to no light to let drivers know they are standing there.

The intersection needs two of the three pillars mentioned earlier to make it safer.

Engineering – Real Time Traffic Expert Chuck Henson talked to the county about installing amber flashing beacons. That would allow those in the crosswalk to better signal.

And enforcement - Jessica Mackesy with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says they'll step in to make sure drivers stop as they should.

The county, in cooperation with the City of Dunedin, also plans to install the flashing beacons. That will make the entire intersection safer for drivers and pedestrians.