FDOT tests St. Armands Circle crossing guards

The Florida Department of Transportation began posting pedestrian crossing guards on St. Armands Circle Wednesday as part of a trial program aimed at improving the traffic flow in the area.

The program, funded by FDOT, will run from March 9 through April 3. Pedestrian traffic managers will be posted at crosswalks on the east and north ends of the Circle, along John Ringling Boulevard and Boulevard of the Presidents. The guards will be in place from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday during the trial period.

The guards will dictate when pedestrians can cross the street, working to ensure people move in clusters when possible.

“The benefit is really managing the conflict between the pedestrians and motorists,” said L.K. Nandam, FDOT’s District 1 traffic operations manager. “What we hope is there’s going to be some positive impact on the vehicular traffic as far as queues and delays go.”

The idea to place crossing guards on St. Armands Circle dates originally surfaced in a 2011 FDOT report. It was brought up again in 2015, as stakeholders on St. Armands searched for solutions to a worsening seasonal traffic issue.

Nandam said an initial trial period is being held to investigate the efficacy of the crossing guards. FDOT would then provide that information to the city and Circle stakeholders, who could choose to invest in the program full time.

The program’s budget for the month is $40,000, though Nandam anticipated the final cost for the pedestrian traffic managers would be lower.