Updated on: June 14, 2023 / 4:34 PM / CW44 Tampa Bay
MULBERRY, Fla. (Tampa Bay Now) - A Tampa Bay city is finding a new creative way to reduce pedestrian-vehicle crashes! Proximity Detection System
Cellphone zombie crossing signs are being put up all over the city of Mulberry in Polk County.
Employees with the city of Mulberry say the whole point of putting the word zombies on these signs is to really grab the attention of both drivers and pedestrians.
"I would feel terrible knowing we could have put these signs up and didn't and then had a tragedy," said Rick Johnson, Mulberry City Manager.
Johnson is talking about these signs that say "Beware of smartphone zombies."
"We probably could have spelled it out and said, 'Beware of people looking down at their cellphones' and not paying attention to where they are walking, but I think this is a little more of an attention grabber," said Johnson.
He says he got the idea from a picture on social media, and decided to give it a try around schools.
"They get out of the high school at the end of the school day and of course and of course like a lot of folks, they want to get on their phones. Probably a couple hundred vehicles coming across at the exact same time," said Johnson.
He says the city doesn't have a great bus system and there are a lot of bicyclists in the area.
"We've all had our close calls somewhere along the line and I think we are all a little guilty of looking at our phones and not paying attention as well," said Johnson.
According to the polk transportation planning organization, over the last 10 years, over 2,400 bicyclists and pedestrians have been injured while traveling on Polk County roads.
That's why resident, Erica Luke, says she thinks the signs are a great idea.
"I think it's a great reminder to look up, pay attention, and take a little bit of, I don't want to say accountability, but caution with pedestrians," said Luke.
Johnson says he hopes to see a big difference in the number of pedestrian-vehicle crashes over the next several years.
"If we can just grab one person's attention and potentially prevent a tragedy somewhere," said Johnson.
First published on June 14, 2023 / 4:35 PM
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