Take Back Our Streets – Crosswalk Workshop

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Kasön Bailey’s tragic death can become another traffic death statistic or a springboard for bringing greater safety and convenience to Metro Orlando’s streets for pedestrians and bicyclists.  I’m choosing to pursue the latter.

On Sunday, October 17th at 3:00 pm, the first Crosswalk Workshop will be held just 100 yards from the site of the crash that killed Kasön.  Keri and I hope to get together a group of six to twelve participants who will demonstrate the proper use of the crosswalk and talk to local residents about the importance of proper crosswalk use.  We’ll have brochures to hand out, and Keri has done a T-shirt design that you will be able to purchase from Big Frog tomorrow or Saturday.

We’ll take a couple of hours to meet with local residents who are out walking, explain to them what we’re doing, and demonstrate for them the proper use of the crosswalk.  We anticipate that the residents we contact will spread the word and encourage others to use the crosswalk properly.  By pedestrians using the crosswalk assertively, motorists will learn to respect the crosswalk, which will encourage more pedestrians to use the crosswalk instead of crossing at random points, which will get more motorist compliance, and so on.

Please call (407-504-2455), e-mail me (wbcarpenter5@att.net), or leave a comment if you are interested in participating.  Let me know if you would like to purchase a T-shirt.  And thanks!

8 replies
  1. Kitzzy
    Kitzzy says:

    What a great idea! I find myself having to assertive when crossing Alafaya on Research Parkway, and witness way too many people at risk there. I’m interested in participating. Where’s the meeting place?

  2. Bill
    Bill says:

    Whoops, I left out the location. Thanks, Kitzzy. The crosswalk is on Aloma Avenue between Forsyth and Tangerine Avenue across from the RaceTrac convenience store. We’ll meet there on the RaceTrac side at 3:00 PM Sunday.

  3. Will
    Will says:

    Hey Bill,

    Do you know how long this will go for? I’d love to see if I can make it up there at least for a bit.

    • Bill
      Bill says:

      Will, thanks for dropping by yesterday! Please contact me with your last name and e-mail (wbcarpenter5@att.net). Thanks!

  4. John Brooking
    John Brooking says:

    That’s a great idea. But count me uninformed, what exactly is “proper use of a crosswalk”? Maybe I do it, but haven’t ever mentally formalized it as such. What I do is take one step off and look at the approaching drivers to try to get some recognition. If necessary, another step, look again. Eventually it works and I can proceed. Is that what you’re talking about?

    This is at unsignalized mid-block ones, of course.

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