Biking

Welcome To Walktober

Bicycle Federation to honor the 17 pedestrians who have been killed in Milwaukee this year.

By , Bike Federation of Wisconsin - Oct 1st, 2017 12:04 pm
Yield to Pedestrians. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

Yield to Pedestrians. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. Drive the speed limit.
  3. Don’t be a distracted driver. Focus on the road and people sharing the road with you.
  4. 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.
In Milwaukee, Walktober is kicking off with Remember Pedestrians (schedule below), where a crosswalk action and a memorial for each of the 17 pedestrians slain in Milwaukee will be erected at the intersection where they were killed. 17 pedestrians have been killed in Milwaukee so far this year, while there were 12 in all of last year, an increase of 142% year to year to date. Join us, Simple show up and cross the street with us and help educate people driving and walking.
Remember Pedestrians Schedule
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.

Categories: Biking

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