Look to kids to get traffic safety message across

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, 9/21/2016
 
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

We live in an area that’s potentially ideal for cycling, walking and running.

Flat terrain, overall good weather and a growing infrastructure that’s slowly becoming a solid bicycle and pedestrian network. But it’s no secret that too many bicyclists, pedestrians, and especially drivers engage in inappropriate and sometimes dangerous behavior when using our roads and pathways.

Traffic safety messages are fairly common but are clearly falling on deaf ears, as evidenced by our consistently outrageous crash, injury and fatality statistics here in Lee County. Could awareness messages created by middle and high school students make a difference? Lee County Emergency Medical Services and the Injury Prevention Coalition think it’s worth a try to find out.

An EMS grant, awarded through the Lee County IPC application process, will be used to entice high school and middle school students to produce videos focusing on traffic safety specific to bicycles and pedestrians. Of course, motorists can be the message’s focus as much as nonmotorists since they do the most damage. The BikeWalkSafely2Live video contest seeks 10-, 15-, or 30-second videos that can net winning schools $1,000 for media supplies and equipment and/ or for bicycle/pedestrian safety initiatives at their school. Second and third place schools will receive $500 and $250 respectively. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 18, and winners will be announced in January. Winning videos will be widely distributed as part of a countywide public safety campaign facilitated by the city of Cape Coral and its partners, which include Cape Coral Bike- Ped, BikeWalkLee, Lee County IPC, Lee County School District, Streets Alive, FDOT, MPO and other business and community safety advocates. More about the contest can be found at flbikelaw.org and alerttodayflorida.com.

This contest has been announced within the school district but encouraging students you know to enter would be helpful as well, especially if they are enrolled in a private or charter school, where the announcement may not have gotten to them. It’s an opportunity for students to do something good for the community, their schools and themselves as they develop skills and begin to build their resumes. Having the messages crafted and delivered by young people can have a real impact on other young people, whether while on foot, riding a bike, or behind the wheel. And it can impact adults as well. Fort Myers Track Club 2016-2017 schedule


FMTC, our area’s premier running club and race organizer, has another season full of top-notch events on tap. Unless otherwise noted all races occur in the morning and on Saturdays.

See ftmyerstrackclub.com for more information.





Oct. 1 - Lexington Cares 5k,
Lexington Country Club
Oct. 8 - Cops and Joggers 5K,
Centennial Park (night)
Oct. 15 - Sanibel Race-4-FISH 10K,
Sanibel Community House
Oct. 22 - Race the Roof 15K, 5K,
Verandah Country Club
Nov. 11 - Midpoint Madness 5K, Royal
Palm Square (night)
Nov. 24 - Turkey Trot 5K,
C.C. Hospital/Wellness Center
Dec. 3 - River Run 10Krun/2Mwalk,
Centennial Park

Jan. 8 - River, Roots & Ruts
Half Marathon / 5K fun run,
Caloosahatchee Regional Park
Jan. 28 - Bug Chase 5K,
Calusa Nature Center
Feb. 4 - Strides for Education 5K,
Florida Southwestern College
Feb. 12 - Edison Fest kids races,
Downtown Fort Myers
Feb. 18 - Edison Festival 5K,
Centennial Park (evening)
Feb. 25 - Swamp Stomp 5K,
Rodeo Bar & Grill, LaBelle
March 5 - Hooters Half Marathon,
Hooters of Fort Myers
March 11 - Scope-for-Hope 5K,
Hammond Stadium
March 19* - Lehigh Spring Festival 5K,
Veterans Park, Lehigh
May 13 - Turtle Trot 5K,
Lovers Key State Park
May 20 - Cape Cops 5K,
Cape Coral Yacht Club
May 29 - Run-the-Green 5K, Eastwood
Golf Course
June (date TBA) - FMTC
Membership Run 5K, Hammond
Stadium
July 4 - Freedom 5K, Cape Coral
Chamber of Commerce,
Downtown CC ¦

*Race may move to Jan. 21 and new location
 


- Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334- 6417.

BikeWalkSafely2Live Contest: Make a video to make Cape biking safer

The News-Press, 'Go Coastal',  9/15/2016

By Carolyn Conant-Adair

In the United States, “every year, about 300,000 kids go to the emergency department because of bike injuries, and at least 10,000 kids have injuries that require a few days in the hospital. Some of these injuries are so serious that children die, usually from head injuries,” according to Nemours Kids Health website.

The city of Cape Coral and Cape Coral Bike Ped volunteers are working to reduce the number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes – and they want your help. The Cape Coral Police Department’s High Visibility Pedestrian/Bicycle Enforcement effort has already resulted in a 10% year to year decreased bicycle and pedestrian accidents, by giving out more warning tickets and citations.

These types of initiatives work but, as Sergeant Jon Kulko of the Cape Coral Police Department Traffic Unit notes: "There is still a great need for the youth of Cape Coral to wear bicycle helmets and to have their bicycles equipped with brakes. Those riding at night need to have bicycle lights (front and rear) and are encouraged to wear high visibility clothing." So, while the city is working to build more and safer bike routes and sidewalks every year to try to keep children and adults safe, it’s not enough.

The city’s newest safety strategy is to ask student in middle and high schools (through their media teachers) to create bicycle and pedestrian safety videos. Through peer-to-peer safety and education videos, students can help educate their fellow students on the rules of the road, the need to wear a helmet and other safety initiatives.

Thanks to a grant from the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition, the city of Cape Coral is able to send the winning Lee County middle and high schools up to $1,000 to purchase media equipment or for bicycle and pedestrian initiatives. The best middle and high school students’ Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos will be aired on TV ads, school media outlets, websites and blogs. Winning students are encouraged to list the winning videos on their resumes and job applications.

Encourage students you know throughout Lee County public, private, charter and parochial schools and their media teachers to participate in this contest. Middle and high school students and their teachers can go to www.CapeCoral.net/Bicycling and click on the big blue “BikeWalkSafely2Live PSA Contest” button to get started by reading the Contest Rules and applying on the online Entry Form. The deadline to submit your video is Nov. 18, 2016.

The city is looking for creative approaches to encourage more students to ride and walk to schools and throughout the region in a safe manner. Participants need to create 10-, 15- or 30-second videos that highlight bicycle and pedestrian safety initiatives (such as wearing a helmet) as well as the rules of the road (such as walking or riding on the correct side of the road).

These student-created bike/ped videos will help everyone learn the rules of the road and safe bicycling and walking practices.

Let’s bring the number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes down even further this coming year through these bike/ped safety videos. Let’s make our roads safer for everyone!

Lend a hand by getting students you know excited about participating in this video contest. The roads belong to all of us; let’s make them safer by getting everyone - motorist, cyclist and pedestrians - to learn the rules of the road and be courteous to each other.

Carolyn Conant-Adair is president of Cape Coral Bike-Ped, a volunteer organization working in partnership with the city of Cape Coral to make a difference in the way the city improves and builds its bike lanes, paths and sidewalks.