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“Watch for Me” Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program:
From North Carolina to Connecticut
Watch for Me NC
Watch for Me NC The Watch for Me NC program empowers communities to address pedestrian and bicycle crashes by supporting:
1. Community outreach and education strategies; and
2. High-visibility enforcement of pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist laws
The program began as a regional pilot test in 2012 and now has partner-driven efforts across NC
2018 partners
Key safety behaviors Driver yielding
◦ Crossings ◦ Driveways ◦ When turning
Safe passing
Attentiveness ◦ Parking lots ◦ Intersections ◦ Around buses
Visibility at night
What participants get
Tools for spreading the word ◦ Pandora ads
◦ Transit ads
◦ Outdoor ads
◦ Signage
◦ Bike lights
◦ Print materials
◦ Creative media
What participants get Tools for public engagement
– Banners and print materials: great for use in community events, council meetings, health fairs, assemblies, etc.
Durham, NC Corolla, NC Greenville, NC
What participants get Technical assistance o One-day law enforcement training
o Series of web-based trainings
o Online resources, template materials, guidance, and listserv access
o Support from UNC and past participants
o Tools to support data collection and evaluation
Officer training field exercise in Raleigh, NC
Participation requirements
o Attend Action Planning Workshops
o Send officers to law enforcement trainings
o Use materials provided by NCDOT to engage the public
o Conduct enforcement operations
Chapel Hill Outreach Program
Law enforcement trainings Full day for new partners
◦ Overview of key safety issues, laws, and enforcement best practices
◦ Field exercises
Half day for returning partners ◦ More emphasis on planning
operations
What the training covers o Why Enforce Ped/Bike Safety
o Engineering/Designing for Enforcement
o How Pedestrian & Bicycle Crashes Happen
o Education: Officers as Educators
o Pedestrian & Bicycle Laws
o Enforcement Options
o Crosswalk Enforcement Operation: Field Practice
o Crash Investigation & Reporting
o Safe Routes to School
o Potential Law Enforcement Partners
Enforcement feedback o Strong District Attorney and elected official support is key
o Residents are very receptive to receiving bike lights; many did not know about laws
o “Catching people doing good” is effective
UNC-CH
Durham, NC
Pedestrian and bicycle safety is a wicked problem o Socially and organizationally complex
o Solutions may cause unintended consequences
o Ever changing
Addressing wicked problems
Wicked problems can’t be solved by:
o Single agency actions – e.g., enforcement alone
o One-time actions - e.g., handing out fliers
o “Band-Aid” actions that don’t address underlying issue - e.g., “anti-jaywalking” campaign
Addressing wicked problems
Wicked problems need: o Change across the system
o Sustained action on multiple fronts
o A shared vision of what “success” looks like o Community engagement
o Interagency involvement
Example: Driver distraction
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Example: Driver inattentiveness
Key potential partners Partner Key strengths
Communications/Public Information Officers
Ties with the public and community groups; knowledge of media relations
Parks and Recreation Departments
Organize local events; may host after school care programs
Planning/Public Works departments
Ties with the public and other city depts; knowledge of safety issues/areas
School systems Access to large community of kids/parents
Police departments Ties to all of the above
Advocacy/bike groups Connection to the community
Law enforcement strengths
o Deep knowledge of roadway environment and safety issues
o “Influencers” within a community ◦ Help shape policies
◦ Support a culture of safety
o Reinforce safe behaviors (ideally where the built environment provides support)
Law enforcement and engineers make great partners
Source: Pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden
What the evidence shows… Law enforcement, coupled with public engagement and built
environment improvements often improve behaviors (which MAY lead to crash reductions): ◦ Sandt et al., 2015
◦ Van Houten et al., 2013
◦ Goodwin et al., 2013
◦ Zegeer et al., 2008
◦ Van Houten & Malenfant, 2004
Source: Laura Sandt
Watch for Me CT
Watch For Me CT
Watch for Me CT is a comprehensive program aimed at reducing the number of injuries and fatalities as a result of traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in Connecticut. It is funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and managed in partnership with Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center. The program was adopted in 2017.
In Connecticut, more than 1,500 pedestrians and 550 bicyclists are hit by cars each year.
Of those, about 60 pedestrians and 5 bicyclists die
due to their injuries.
December 2016 o One week period with 9 serious crashes involving pedestrians, resulting in 8 fatalities o The ages and demographics were varied (young and old, male and female) indicating a diverse problem
CTDOT researches existing campaigns o Minnesota o North Carolina
Found Watch for Me NC o Liked the name (Watch for Me CT is an easy fit) o Simple yet pointed message: everyone is at some point a pedestrian and/or bicyclist; ‘me’ aspect applies to
everyone; addresses the point of how the recent crashes involved such a diverse group of people o Is a personal call to action for everyone: drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists
Choosing the campaign
o No need to reinvent the wheel – can borrow graphics, wording, strategies
o By piggy-backing off of their campaign we did not need to create all new materials
o Sharing is both:
o Superficial – logo, graphics
o and
o Substantial - principles, program components, lessons learned
Borrowing materials
o Adapted the approach to fit the needs and resources of Connecticut
o Decided to work directly with organizations, community groups, schools, municipal departments, and others to coordinate statewide outreach
o Expanded messaging
o Adapted the law enforcement component
Making it our own
It is a statewide campaign to increase the overall visibility of pedestrian and bicyclist safety issues via:
o A media campaign including billboards, bus tails, radio, and other outlets
o Educational materials that increase awareness about safe behaviors and knowledge of laws for pedestrians, drivers, and bicyclists
o Engagement in community activities that drive attention to pedestrian and bicyclist safety
o Facilitation of idea sharing between organizations and communities
Primary elements of Watch for Me CT
o Enhanced bike and walk friendliness of our communities
o Heightened awareness of safe behaviors for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians
o Increased media attention to the issues of pedestrian and bicyclist safety
o Boosting of partnerships among groups and advocates who care about these issues
o Improvements in safety outcomes for all
Goals
Partners o Bike and pedestrian advocacy
groups, clubs, boards, and commissions
o Community groups
o Municipalities
o Police departments
o Local transportation agencies and planners
o Health departments
o Parks and recreation
o Trail groups
o Schools
o Hospitals
o Universities
o Group presentations
o Health and safety fairs
o Open streets and festivals
o Bike events
o Race and trail events
o School presentations and bike/walk to school days
o Conferences and summits
Activities
Media campaign: 2017
o Billboards
o Bus tails
o Radio
o Digital
Media campaign: 2018
The Highway Safety Office also leverages office partnerships when possible:
Fixed signage in three major sporting facilities in the state o XL Center in Hartford o Harbor Yard Arena in Bridgeport o New Britain Stadium
CT HSO’s Additional Actions
XL Center
XL Center
XL Center
Harbor Yard Arena
XL Center
New Britain Stadium
CT HSO’s Additional Actions
Partnership with local minor league baseball team lead to a Watch for Me CT theme night at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford.
CT HSO’s Additional Actions
Watch for Me CT mugs - developed as an added value item to us at no fixed cost to distribute to people at tabling events.
Dunkin’ Donuts Park
Educational Materials
o Upcoming events
o Educational posts
o Resources
o Photos of past events
o Sharable messaging
o Timely and related news stories
o Recognize organizations and volunteers
www.facebook.com/watchformeCT
Social Media
Future directions: Where we are going from here
o Law enforcement training: hoping that the training creates a cadre of instructors that can continue to bring the course to other police departments
o Leveraging more earned media
o Involving more police departments in crosswalk awareness activities/positive reinforcement
o Sharing with others! All of our content and ideas are available at no charge. Contact Amy Watkins at Watch for Me CT or Joe Cristalli at CT DOT.
Questions?
www.WatchForMeCT.org
Amy Watkins, MPH
Program Coordinator, Watch for Me CT
Connecticut Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
860.837.5344
www.WatchForMeNC.org
Seth LaJeunesse, CAGS, MCRP
Research Associate, Watch for Me NC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Highway Safety Research Center
919.962.4236
