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Through the Safe Routes to School program, The City of Madison, Healthy Kids Collaborative of Dane County, and the Wisconsin Bike Fed are promoting active transportation, important dates, and safety tips for drivers and pedestrians.
May 1-31: Bike and Roll to School Month! Bike, board, scooter or skate to school, a park, or around your neighborhood!
June 4-11: Wisconsin Bike Week! Check out this calendar of events to see what's happening in your community. You can even host your own bike week event. Check back often as Bike Week approaches and the calendar fills up!
Pedestrian Safety
With the start of warm weather, even more families will be walking to school and other destinations. It’s important for drivers to slow down and pay attention, especially before and after school.
Safety Tips for Drivers
1. Look out for people walking everywhere, at all times.
2. Slow down and be prepared to yield to people walking when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk.
3. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they yield too.
4. For more information on crosswalk rules – visit this Wisconsin Department of Transportation webpage on crosswalks.
5. Follow the speed limit. School zones with no speed limit sign are 15 mph and some have signs with a 20 mph speed limit. A pedestrian hit by a motor vehicle traveling at 20 mph has a 13% chance of being killed or seriously injured. At 30 mph there is a 40% chance the pedestrian will die or be seriously injured.
6. Be extra cautious when backing up and look for pedestrians.
7. Always use extra caution around school buses and stop 20 feet or more away from any school bus that has stopped and is flashing red warning lights.
8. Watch out for Crossing Guards and if they signal for you to top, you are required to stop no closer than 10 feet and no less than 30 feet from the guard.
Want to learn more about teaching your children to walk and bike safely? Learn more at the City of Madison Traffic Engineering pedestrian webpage.