T.A. Launches The Bronx Bike/Ped Safety Coalition

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In October 1997, T.A. launched an intensive bicycle and pedestrian improvement project centered on Bronx County elementary schools. With funding from the Bronx Borough President's Office and the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, T.A. is assigning advocacy staffer Susan Boyle to work full-time on The Bronx Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition. Susan will get significant support from the rest of staff and the incomparable T.A. Bronx Committee. The special focus of the project is creating Safe Routes To School programs at an elementary school in each of the
Bronx's 12 community districts. The Safe Routes programs will ask teachers, students, parents and the police to identify preferred walking routes and any traffic hazards or obstacles on them. Susan will then work with the stakeholder groups to
devise short, medium and long range solutions to alleviate any unsafe conditions.
Proposed solutions might include increasing the duration of the flashing "WALK" light at intersections, improving signage and adding speed humps or medians. By November, T.A. will provide Bronx community boards, schools and police precincts
with maps detailing all pedestrian/bicycle injuries and fatalities over the last 5 years.
The project will emphasize behavioral change by motorists as well as cyclists and pedestrians, but will avoid the blame-the-victim approach that has marred many government sponsored "safety" efforts.