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. Greenville, NC Corolla, NC Durham, 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

Example: Driver inattentiveness

Key potential partners Partner Communications/Public Information Officers Parks and Recreation Departments Planning/Public Works departments School systems Police departments Advocacy/bike groups Key strengths Ties with the public and community groups; knowledge of media relations Organize local events; may host after school care programs Ties with the public and other city depts; knowledge of safety issues/areas Access to large community of kids/parents Ties to all of the above 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.

Choosing the campaign 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

Borrowing materials 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 o Superficial logo, graphics and o Substantial - principles, program components, lessons learned

Making it our own 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

Primary elements of Watch for Me CT 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

Goals 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

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

Activities 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

Media campaign: 2017 o Billboards o Bus tails o Radio o Digital

Media campaign: 2018

CT HSO s Additional Actions 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 XL Center XL Center XL Center

CT HSO s Additional Actions XL Center Harbor Yard Arena 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. 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

Social Media 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

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.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 lajeune@hsrc.unc.edu www.watchformect.org Amy Watkins, MPH Program Coordinator, Watch for Me CT Connecticut Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center 860.837.5344 awatkins01@connecticutchildrens.org