I recently hosted the second RI Waves webinar to promote safer streets across our ‘Little Rhody’. Joining me were Bike Newport’s executive director, Bari Freeman, and the Jai CG creative director, Joe Phommasith. The focus of this webinar was to educate representatives from RI municipalities on all of the resources available from RI Waves to feature the message back in their communities.
Our message is simple: Be noticed. Stop, look & wave at every street crossing. We discussed what other municipalities are up to, like the Warwick PD that ran an engaging educational safety event at the Greenwich Village apartment complex (see February blog).
Statewide webinar participants represented the counties of Providence, Kent and Newport. Everyone agreed that RI Wave materials such as posters and videos, and sample social media content would help them to get the word out.
Johanna Walczak, a town planner from East Providence, asked about the safety studies that RIDOT is conducting at bike path intersections. I met with her a few weeks later to follow-up, and heard that East Providence was chosen as one of only twelve Road to Zero communities across the country to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries. Way to go East Providence!
With our state partners strongly supportive, I feel the momentum building and the practice of “Stop, Look, and Wave” spreading – soon we will all do the Rhode Island Wave for safer streets!
Be safe and Be Noticed out there-
Alice