ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The reminders sound simple enough. Look both ways. Use the crosswalk. Put down the phone.
But on roads shared by cars, bikes and foot traffic, the gap between knowing the rules and following them can be measured in feet and seconds. That’s where the St. Petersburg Police Department has been focusing its attention since last fall.
Since November, officers have worked 26 targeted operations aimed at pedestrian and bicycle safety, part of a statewide campaign funded through the Florida Department of Transportation. The numbers so far show a mix of education and enforcement. Police have made 174 education contacts with pedestrians, 119 with bicyclists and 300 with motorists. They’ve issued 230 citations. They’ve also handed out 107 bicycle lights…