MassDOT Safety reminds us that "Pedestrian safety is everyone's responsibility!"

MassDOT Safety (@MassDOTSafety) tweeted on Mon, Oct 04, 2021:

"October is #PedestrianSafetyMonth and we want to remind everyone how travel speed impacts crash injury severity. Pedestrian safety is everyone's responsibility!

#EveryoneIsAPedestrian
#VisionZero https://t.co/WZ453dimIK"

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/MassDOTSafety/status/1445019668557832196?s=03

MassDOT Safety reminds us that "Pedestrian safety is everyone's responsibility!"

"It’s really giving people another option to getting around"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Transportation officials outlined several initiates to increase cycling and walking in its final State Bicycle Transportation Plan and State Pedestrian Transportation Plan released last week.

Constructing safer bike networks, increasing bike share programs and improving maintenance of trails are some initiatives state transportation officials are eyeing to get more cyclists on the roads.

The state Department of Transportation last week released its final Bicycle Transportation Plan and Pedestrian Transportation Plan highlighting initiatives to make streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The bike plan was last updated in 2008 and the pedestrian plan in the late 1990s. There have been several advances in technology, research and design during that period.

“The transportation sector is evolving so rapidly,” said Jackie DeWolfe, DOT director of sustainable mobility."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190725/state-transportation-leaders-release-plans-to-increase-bicycle-pedestrian-traffic

view the bicycle plan - https://www.mass.gov/service-details/bicycle-plan
view the pedestrian plan - https://www.mass.gov/service-details/pedestrian-plan

view the bicycle plan

Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operations Hope To Yield Safety Improvements

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve pedestrian safety in Franklin, the Franklin Police will conduct a pedestrian safety enforcement operation that focuses on motorists who fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.

Pedestrian safety is a key issue in our community, and the Franklin Police Department is committed to upholding pedestrian safety laws to protect our citizens.

The Franklin Police Department strongly encourages members of the community to follow basic safe practices:

Traffic safety is everyone's
personal responsibility

• Drivers should be on the lookout for and stop for pedestrians.
• Drivers should stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk and stay stopped until the pedestrian is two traffic lanes away or has reached the sidewalk.
• Pedestrians should use a crosswalk when crossing the street and obey pedestrian signals.
• Pedestrians should look both ways for traffic before crossing and ensure cars are yielding before crossing. Remember that having the right-of-way does not prevent you from being seriously injured by a driver who is not paying attention. Traffic safety is everyone's personal responsibility.
• Pedestrians should wear bright colored, reflective clothing and use a flashlight when walking during hours of darkness. Be visible!

We are committed to doing our part to keep the community safe. We urge every member of the community to help by keeping themselves safe and following basic rules of the road.


This was shared from the Town of Franklin page
http://www.franklinma.gov/police-department/news/pedestrian-safety-enforcement

The PDF of the media release can be found here
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/2017_media_release_pedestrian_safety.pdf

Double Pedestrian Crash, E Central Street - Feb 17

On Friday February 17th at approximately 5:43pm the Franklin Police responded to a report of two pedestrians struck by a motor vehicle in the area of 110 East Central Street. Franklin Police and Fire responded to the scene. 

One of the injured was transported to Milford Hospital while the second injured pedestrian was transported to Rhode Island Hospital. The operator of the vehicle remained at the scene, and will be interviewed by officers from the Franklin Police Accident Reconstruction Unit. At this time the injuries to one victim appear to be serious. 

No further information is available at this time. 

This crash remains under investigation by the Franklin Accident Reconstruction Unit. The names of the involved parties are not being released at this time.

This report was shared from the Town of Franklin Police Dpartment page
http://www.franklinma.gov/police-department/news/media-release-double-pedestrian-crash-e-central-street


As frequent readers know, I walk about town quite a bit. I happened to have walked down this section of East Central St Friday morning. The eastbound sidewalk for the most part has been cleared and it is pretty safe going until just about this spot where the sidewalk was blocked and you are forced into the road side. The road side is also partially blocked. I stopped and waited for several cars to pass before I ventured around the snow. Assuming the women were wearing dark winter clothes, walking in the same direction, and at dusk, the driver of the vehicle may not have been able to see them.

If you walk in the dark, please wear light colored clothing or something reflective. Give yourself and the driver a chance to see each other.

Recall that the Town Council recently voted to repeal the sidewalk snow removal bylaw. Part of the rationale was (1) the bylaw as written was unenforceable and (2) the DPW clears the sidewalks downtown.

From the Feb 1, Town Council meeting:

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

9. BYLAW AMENDMENT 17-785: REPEAL OF SIDEWALK SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL BYLAW - 2ND READING (MOTION TO MOVE BYLAW AMENDMENT 17-785 - MAJORITY ROLL CALL VOTE (5)) as currently written it is not enforced, nor is it practical to be enforced should be eliminated  motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0 via roll call

For other legislative action taken by the Town Council on Feb 1
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/02/live-reporting-legislation-for-action.html

Milford Daily News article from Jan 10 about the proposal to repeal the snow removal bylaw
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/01/felt-bylaw-as-written-was-anti-business.html

evidence that the DPW does get to clear the sidewalks of snow. However one must also ask if the Downtown Project took so long, to plan, couldn't they at least have put the pole on the side of the sidewalk?