Press Releases

Release Date/Time: 8/5/2010 12:59 PM
Incident: Community Pedestrian Safety Training
Date: Saturday, 8/14/2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: 1255 E. Market Street (Fremont Elementary School)

The City of Salinas has been selected as one of 12 cities in the state for a free, half-day pedestrian safety-training program conducted by the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) under the Community Pedestrian Safety Training Project. The project is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Cities are selected on the basis of criteria such as their incidents of pedestrian serious injury and fatality and ensuring a geographic distribution of training throughout the state.

With more people interested in walking as a healthful form of exercise that is also environmentally friendly, the project is intended to help communities make walking a more attractive option. This can be done by creating a safer and more pleasant pedestrian environment. More than 14,000 pedestrians are killed or injured in California every year – some 6,100 of them while crossing at a crosswalk – and they are disproportionately older people and children.

The training is especially geared toward community members and pedestrian safety advocates. Additionally, a few representatives from the city’s transportation or public works agency, police and local public agencies are invited to attend to ensure coordination with city agencies. Approximately 75 participants will be invited, and attendees and will incorporate some city-specific issues into the training.

The four-hour workshop covers expert presentations on basic pedestrian safety best practices. It will explore engineering steps, such as making crosswalks more visible, adding pedestrian islands. Strategies for engaging community-based professionals and advocates who can team together to solve problems will also be discussed. Additionally, attendees will be led on a walkability assessment of a selected pedestrian danger area. Small-group discussions will help to set priorities for safety treatments.

The workshop will be held at Fremont Elementary School on Saturday August 14, 2010, from 10 am to 2 pm. It is free to the community and the media is invited to attend.

For more information regarding this press release, contact Sergeant John Lynn at (831) 758-7975.

Release Authorized by: Lalo Villegas
Telephone: (831) 758-7348

Return to News Main Page