Expect to see Tampa Police out on specific roads around the city, both reminding people breaking the rules and rewarding those who follow them.
City council members agreed to a contract between USF and Tampa Police.
USF received a $60,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to help fund the initiative which involves Tampa Police heading to some of the most dangerous areas for pedestrian and bicycle accidents.
The areas include
- E. Fowler Ave.
- Busch Blvd
- Dale Mabry and 40th St.
- Martin Luther King Blvd
- Waters Ave.
- Nebraska and 52nd
- Hillsborough Ave.
Officers will be handing out fliers to remind people of safe practices and issue warnings and citations if needed.
They'll also offer rewards, like gift certificates to people they see using the crosswalks or stopping for pedestrians. According to FDOT, pedestrian deaths doubled in Tampa from 2014-2015.
More than 500 pedestrian and bicycle accidents were reported in 2015.
A spokeswoman for FDOT tells ABC Action News the number of accidents has gone down by 20 percent in the cities where they've implanted the reward program.
Tampa Police cold begin as early as next month and would continue through May of next year.
