JUPITER, Fla. — Contact 5 showed last year how drivers along a stretch of A1A and Ocean Avenue in Jupiter ignore the pedestrian right of way. However, concerned residents are still waiting for the county to keep its promise and fix the issue.
It's a problem people living near the beach thought would be resolved by now, after they contacted WPTV about what they called a dangerous crossing.
Traffic continues to speed along at the crossings and doesn't stop for pedestrians, according to neighbors who thought the problem would already be mitigated.
David Mayers, who lives near the crossings, called Contact 5 last fall warning someone crossing the street might get hit by a car.
"You put a foot out in the street to show them that you want to walk, and they speed up and go faster," Mayers said in October.
"People don't even realize they're supposed to stop at a crosswalk," Terry Zuckerman, who also lives near the crossing, added.
When WPTV put their complaints to the test, Contact 5 found about half the cars, trucks and SUVs that were supposed to stop for people crossing did not.
Mayers suggested the county put in speed bumps.
Palm Beach County's Department of Engineering and Public Works promised instead to put up 24 poles along A1A in Jupiter and Juno Beach. At that location, pedestrians push a button and trigger a flashing yellow light warning drivers to stop.
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The department's chief engineer said he expected them to be finished the project in mid-January. Four months later, these poles are still not up.
So what happened?
According to Engineering and Public Works Department, the material and equipment have been delayed.
"The contractor has not resumed construction of the project due to extended delay in the delivery of material and equipment," Motasem Al-Turk, the director of the traffic division of the Palm Beach County Engineering & Public Works Department, wrote. "It's hard to give any estimate on when they'll resume as some of the material are not expected to be delivered for more than 8 weeks."