Starting this month, the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) will participate in the High Visibility Enforcement Program (HVE) to help improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
According to a GPD release sent Monday, Alachua County ranks among the top 25 counties in Florida for traffic crashes that result in serious and fatal injuries to bicyclists and pedestrians.
To assist in reversing this trend, GPD will participate with HVE, which aims at educating pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists on Florida’s traffic laws to help improve safety on city roads. The program will run through May 2026.
Additional GPD officers will be on patrol at specific corridors throughout Gainesville that have a high occurrence of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. Attention will be directed toward increasing awareness of the dangerous behaviors that contribute to serious and fatal injuries associated with these locations. Officers will look for drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, speeding, conducting improper turns, signal violations and using hand-held devices.
Officers will also be on the lookout for pedestrians who cross the street illegally or fail to yield to motorists who have the right-of-way. Bicyclists will be stopped for riding at night without lights, riding against traffic, or not abiding by the same laws as motor vehicles. Officers will issue citations and warnings when appropriate.
“Whether you are on foot, behind the wheel, or on a bike, you have a responsibility to share the road safely,” said Sgt. Lynne Valdes of the GPD Traffic Unit in the press release. “Understanding the rules of the road helps ensure we all arrive at our destination safely and makes our streets safer for everyone.”
Funding for the HVE program was provided through a contract with the University of North Florida’s Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM), funded by the Florida Department of Transportation. GPD will receive funds for overtime hours for officers to conduct operations and for special training on Florida’s bicycle and pedestrian laws, procedures and best practices.