The Tallahassee Police Department will continue to conduct Proactive Patrol to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety on the road, the agency announced on January 4.

According to the department, the capital city ranks in the top 15 cities in the state traffic crashes resulting in serious or fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Last year alone, one bicyclist and eight pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes.

Because of this, through May of this year, the Tallahassee Police Department will conduct “proactive patrols in pre-determined areas through a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) detail”  in an effort to promote “education and visibility” and reduce the number of crashes.

Per the Tallahassee Police Department, “HVE details are funded through a contract with the University of North Florida in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation. The goal of this enforcement effort is to increase compliance and awareness regarding traffic laws related to pedestrian and bicyclist safety in pre-determined areas that have been identified as having a high number of traffic crashes.”

A large part of this proactive effort focuses on education to those on the road.

The Tallahassee Police Department offered the following tips to residents on the road:

• Drivers, obey speed limits, never drive impaired and always watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.

• Bicyclists, obey traffic laws, ride with the direction of traffic and use lights when riding at night.

• Pedestrians, cross roadways in crosswalks or at intersections, obey pedestrian signals and make sure you are visible to drivers when walking at night.

 Anyone in violation of rules may receive a warning or citation.

The areas, days and times of the HVE details are as follows:

• Monroe Street from Torreya Drive to Callaway Road from 3 a.m. to midnight on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays

• West Pensacola Street from Appleyard Drive to Flamingo Way from noon to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

• West Tennessee Street from Copeland Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

• Capital Circle NW from W Tennessee Street to Peddie Road from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

• Orange Avenue from Pasco Street to South Meridian Street from 2 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays