NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Districts across Middle Tennessee have emphasized pedestrian safety and safely getting to school while walking or biking this week.
As part of the ongoing Vision Zero initiative, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure partnered with Metro Nashville Public Schools to host an event at Carter-Lawrence Elementary School Wednesday. It was one of 65 Metro schools that hosted similar events.
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"Encouraging students to be safe when they're walking, biking, crossing the street starts when they're young. The younger students, when we see them out here at these types of events, we know that we are setting good habits," Courtnye Stone with NDOT told News 2. "We're establishing good habits early on, and that's really important to us as part of our education effort for our Vision Zero program at NDOT."
NDOT said there have been several projects in the area near Carter-Lawrence Elementary School meant to improve safety, including the 12th Avenue South Complete and Green Street Project, which includes enhanced pedestrian crossings and protected bicycle facilities.
Additionally, NDOT has been working to standardize school zones across the city. Carter-Lawrence Elementary School is one of 40 schools that have been standardized.
"This is actually one of my favorite days of being a school board member. I enjoy being with the kids — I call them my babies," MNPS School Board Member TK Fayne said. "I enjoy seeing the parents because this is innocence, right? Like they're just so full of joy and just excited to be here and to be a part of something — they don't even know what it is, necessarily. They're just excited to be a part of it, and their excitement grows and fuels me. Honestly, that's the reason why I do what I do."
Schools in Nashville weren't alone in their celebration of the day. Bike Walk Franklin partnered with the Williamson County Health Department and the Franklin Police Department's Bike Patrol to walk and ride with students from the Williamson County Public Library to Franklin Elementary School. The Franklin branch of Bike Walk Tennessee announced that this year marked the fourth year the organization walked and rolled with Franklin Elementary, and other elementary schools in the Franklin Special School District also celebrated walking and riding to school.
This Friday, Franklin police announced they would be stationed outside Hunter's Bend Elementary School from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m. about how to safely and appropriately use crosswalks and reinforce the importance of pedestrian awareness. Later Friday morning, the department's Traffic Unit will head to downtown Franklin and distribute literature about pedestrian safety.
“Crossing the street isn’t just a routine action. It requires awareness and respect," Lieutenant Amy Butler, who oversees the FPD's Traffic Unit, said. "Proper use of crosswalks, resisting the temptation to jaywalk, and being alert to traffic can make all the difference.”
from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/lhQ8oDm
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