Welcome To Walktober
Bicycle Federation to honor the 17 pedestrians who have been killed in Milwaukee this year.
Walking in Wisconsin should be a safe – not spooky – activity enjoyed by everyone from children on their way to school to senior citizens staying healthy through exercise. However, so far in 2017 there have been 44 people killed while crossing the street, while in all of last year there were 47. To help make walking safer and more enjoyable, the Share & Be Aware will coordinate events across the state throughout the month of October and participate in International Walk and Bike to School Day on Oct. 4th.
Share & Be Aware is a statewide program to make walking and biking safer by educating all road users. All these tragic deaths are preventable. Most often, people behind the wheel are at fault for crashes involving walking. Of pedestrian fatalities in Wisconsin between 2011-2013, 28% involved a driver not yielding to a person walking in a crosswalk. No one should die when crossing in a crosswalk. As community members, and people who drive and walk, each of us can take action to prevent another tragedy.
Through Walktober, encourage people to follow these tips to to improve pedestrian safety:
- Look for and yield to pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks. People walking have the right of way to cross with the light at signalized intersections and at any marked or unmarked crosswalk without traffic control. While behind the wheel, remember that every natural sidewalk connection is a crosswalk – whether it is marked or not. Drivers are required by law to yield to people entering and walking through crosswalks.
- Drive the speed limit.
- Don’t be a distracted driver. Focus on the road and people sharing the road with you.
- Conduct a Stop for My Neighbor Crosswalk Action with printables here and a how to video here. You simply print your own Stop for Pedestrians signs and help pedestrians cross the street while educating driver’s on the law. Take a video and share it with Share & Be Aware on facebook.
Remember Pedestrians Date | Remember Pedestrians Time | Victim Name | Crash Date | Intersection of Crash/Event | |
10/1/17 | 1:00-3:00 | DOLORES T SORACCHI | 2/16/2017 | E BRADY ST | HWY 32 |
10/2/2017 | 5:30-7:30 | Renaldo Wilson | 2/17/2017 | W WISCONSIN AVE | N 36TH ST |
10/3/2017 | 12:30-2:30 | Dennis Gitter | 2/18/2017 | W OKLAHOMA AVE | S 44TH ST |
10/4/2017 | 5:30-7:30 | Denice J. Fells | 3/4/2017 | W VLIET ST | N 17TH ST |
10/5/2017 | 4-6 | Carol Daniel | 4/6/2017 | W LISBON AVE | N 92ND ST |
10/6/2017 | 2-4 | James Kyles | 4/8/2017 | N HOPKINS ST | W HAMPTON AVE |
10/7/2017 | 3:30-5:30 | ERIC L EVANS | 4/9/2017 | W CAPITOL DR | N SHERMAN BLVD |
10/8/2017 | 6-8 | Israel Soto-Colon | 4/18/2017 | S 35TH ST | W MITCHELL ST |
10/9/2017 | 5:30-7:30 | Franklin Mills | 4/21/2017 | N SHERMAN BLVD | W DOUGLAS AVE |
10/10/2017 | 12:30-2:30 | Dwyane Boothe | 4/28/2017 | N TEUTONIA AVE | W VILLARD AVE |
10/11/2017 | 5:30-7:30 | ANTHONY Q JAMAL | 5/4/2017 | N 107TH ST | LAKE PARK DR |
10/12/2017 | 4-6 | EUGENE HENDERSON JR | 5/10/2017 | W HOPKINS ST | W CHAMBERS ST |
10/13/2017 | 2-4 | LAKEISHA S BRICE | 6/12/2017 | W HAMPTON AVE | N 65TH ST |
10/14/2017 | 2:00pm-4:00pm | JOSHUA G WALTERS | 6/16/2017 | W FOND DU LAC AVE | N 21ST ST |
10/15/2017 | 10:00am-12:00pm | DUNG TRI HUYNH | 7/10/2017 | HWY 100 N, E | HWY 100 |
10/16/2017 | 5:30-7:30 | JANE E HOYT | 7/17/2017 | W NATIONAL AVE | S 23RD ST |
10/17/2017 | 12:30-2:30 | Latichia Alexander | 9/22/2017 | Lisbon | 28th |
10/18/2017 | 3-5 | ? just in case |
With this increase in pedestrian fatalities, Share & Be Aware Ambassadors hope to highlight the growing issue by putting up Remember Pedestrians memorials. The memorials will serve as temporary memorials, similar to Ghost Bikes, which have been used around the world to signify the death of a vulnerable road user. These memorials serve as reminders of the tragedies that take place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, a reminder to drive safely, and as a statement in support of the right to safe travel for people who walk. Share & Be Aware will set up the small and somber memorials with support from the nearby community, and in some cases the family members of the victims. We invite everyone to join us. Check out the schedule here. The first of these events will be located at Brady and Farwell from 1-3 on Sunday 10/1 with 16 more memorials to follow on the next 16 days.
Working to make walking safer for everyone, will increase residents’ independence, make our neighborhoods more vibrant and engaging and can counter the rise in obesity across the state.
Please join your neighbors and Share & Be Aware in making October a safe month, and extend those life-saving practices of sharing the road year-round.
Jessica Wineberg, MilWALKee Walks founder/Bike Fed Program Director at jessica@wisconsinbikefed.org.
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