‘SEE AND BE SEEN’
Capital Roots supports motorist and pedestrian safety
RENSSELAER, N.Y. >> Capital Roots, the nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the fight against hunger in the Capital Region, took a step in a slightly different direction to help out the community.
They recently held their “See and Be Seen” event promoting pedestrian and driver safety. On Sept. 26 they were in Rensselaer and on the following day they were in Cohoes. Capital Roots asked drivers and pedestrians alike to “be alert, be responsible, and be patient.”
For each event, with the help of a police presence, volunteers stopped motorists and pedestrians at a key intersection of each city and handed out safety postcards. The cards featured artwork from local students. In Rensselaer, the designs were done by art students from the school district. In Cohoes, they were made by members of the school district’s honor society.
Capital Roots was joined in Rensselaer by Ketura Vics, the Assistant Planning Director for the city of Rensselaer planning department, by Officer Tyler Sammon, Rensselaer’s School Resource Officer, and by Joe Giagni, a school bus driver for Rensselaer.
“Capital Roots did the planning, and we’re happy partners,” said Vics.
Most of the vehicles and all of the pedestrians passing through the intersection of Washington and 3rd Ave didn’t mind stopping and taking a postcard. The event was held between 8:30 and 9:30 am to coincide with the morning commute.
The intersection was chosen because it was the recipient of recent grant funding. The grant, given through the Capital District Transportation Committee’s Capital Coexist Traffic Safety Ambassador Program, allowed the 3rd Ave crosswalk, which was badly faded, to be redone, and the Washington Ave crosswalk to be installed.
The grant, aimed at safety education, also allows Capital Roots to install 15 bike racks throughout the city and a bike repair station at the Rensselaer Public Library.
“It’s great, because the library is at the center of where new trails will be, so we’re supporting the library too,” commented Vics.
“This event is all about access,” said Capital Roots’ Healthy Communities Coordinator Calvin MacDowell, explaining why a food-based organization would run an event like this. “Part of our mission is to make sure all residents have safe access to the locations where we offer healthy food.”
By making streets and crosswalks safer, it makes it easier for people who benefit from Capital Roots to walk, bike, and bus to locations where they can get the affordable fresh food the organization provides.
Sammon and Vics also agreed that raising awareness of pedestrian and crosswalk safety has other benefits for the community as well.
“With all the schools in the area, it was really exciting to partner with a regional entity to promote awareness,” commented Vics. “It’s especially exciting because we’ve got so many new multi-use trails coming.”
“Of course we’re on board,” said Sammon. “Anything to keep the kids safe in the community.”
Vics says the next step in the process of raising awareness is to install additional features that remind motorists to be safe. She is pleased that all the action taken to raise awareness and make crosswalks safer is proactive, progressive planning, instead of responsive action as the result of an accident or injury.
“I’m going to see if we can get some signs put up,” said Vics, describing her plans for what’s next. “I’d like some signs that say ‘slow’ or ‘watch for pedestrians.’ This was always about progressive planning for raising awareness.”
“Capital Roots serves an inner-city constituency, and many of our constituents are walking or using alternative modes of transportation,” remarked Amy Klein, Capital Roots CEO. “Capital Roots’ Healthy Streets program and the ‘See and be Seen’ Safety Campaign focuses on partnering with local communities to not only implement safer infrastructure for pedestrians, but also to educate on the importance of these changes.
“While we are a car-centric society, we need to be thinking about how best to integrate other modes of transportation safely into mainstream traffic patterns. Crosswalks are critical when considering what folks in these communities need to feel safer and more mobile in their own urban spaces.”