LABELLE, Fla. — A crosswalk in LaBelle has sparked safety concerns among residents who said they have witnessed traffic jams and accidents since its construction.
The crosswalk, located on SR 80, was designed to address what the Florida Department of Transportation called the "#1 corridor in Hendry County for pedestrian crashes and fatalities."
However, local residents question whether the safety measure is creating new hazards.
Watch Fox 4's Allie Kaiser speak with LaBelle residents about their crosswalk concerns:
Video footage from the nearby Contreras Mexican Restaurant shows a bicycle accident that occurred Friday at the crosswalk.
"It's not safe," said Todd Bottoms, a lifelong LaBelle resident. "It was a lot better before they installed this. It's just in the wrong spot."
He shared his experience with using the crosswalk.
"It's pretty scary, because the lights they have up there, a lot of the people don't realize they're supposed to stop," Bottoms said.
Traffic congestion has become another issue, according to Darrell Harris, a LaBelle resident and retired Hendry County commissioner.
"You're pulling in and out of places and then you've got trucks going 50-60 MPH," Harris said.
LaBelle Mayor Julie Wilkins expressed concerns about the current design, stating that "yellow flashing lights do not mean stop. Many times, folks who are crossing are hidden by other stopped vehicles."
SR 80 is FDOT's jurisdiction, and the agency said it is working to redesign the crosswalk with an overhead signal after receiving requests from residents.
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