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Stanislaus
County - Being hit by a car while walking is the 2nd leading cause of death
for California children aged 5-12, according to the Surface Transportation
Policy Project. Recognizing the need to have a safer, walkable environment,
community leaders from the Modesto area are coming together at 8
a.m. on Wednesday, March 15th at the Franklin
Family Learning Center at 905 Byron Lane in Modesto,
CA 95351 to learn more about pedestrian safety during the Walkable
Community Workshop. Walkability is not only about creating safe places to
walk. It now involves many issues including access to transit, bicycling,
health, land use planning and policies, and much more. Safe Communities
Coalition members are concerned for the safety of children in various Modesto
neighborhoods. They have identified Franklin Elementary School as the host
site for this workshop. Many Franklin Elementary School students have to
cross busy Highway 132, a route used by fast traveling traffic and large
commercial trucks, when walking or bicycling to school. Peggy Holbrook,
trauma nurse at Memorial Medical Center states, “Safe walking behaviors
must be learned. Parents should model safe behavior and talk to their children
about how to cross the street safely, which direction to walk in, and what
to do if there is no sidewalk. Every parent should walk with their child
to school at the start of each school year to look for hazards and discuss
strategies for safe passage.”
In an effort to increase pedestrian safety awareness, the Stanislaus
County Health Services Agency along with the Stanislaus County Safe Communities
Coalition is bringi ng this workshop to our area. Dr. John Walker, Stanislaus
County Public Health Officer noted that, “bringing the Walkable
Community Workshop to Modesto is an important step toward promoting safer,
more user friendly communities in Stanislaus County." The Walkable
Community Workshop is a community-based approach to bring together individuals
from various backgrounds to discuss the issues that surround “walkability.”
During this workshop participants will learn how to identify hazards within
the walking environment along with learning what can be done to create
change in this area.
This workshop will prepare the participants to take the next step to
create safer routes to school. Walkabilty expert, Paul Zykofsky, Director
of Land Use and Transportation for the Local Government Commission and
Director of the Commission’s Center for Livable Communities, will
be leading the workshop. Walkable Community Workshops have been held in
many locations throughout California including San Jose, Berkeley, Alameda,
Eureka, East Los Angeles, Central Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Lemon
Grove.
The Safe Communities Coalition is a group of local agencies and organizations
dedicated to creating a safe environment for pedestrians and bicyclists
in Stanislaus County. With our mission being to decrease the number of
vehicle-related injuries and deaths, including those to pedestrians and
bicyclists, through community involvement and collaboration with our county,
the coalition participates in a variety of activities including Walk to
School Day, the Modesto Family Cycling Festival and Criterium, and Keep
Baby Safe.
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