October is National Pedestrian Safety Month

BATON ROUGE — October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. The LSU AgCenter offers tips for people interested in active forms of transportation, such as walking and biking:
Choose your route carefully. The best route to walk or bike is usually not the same route you would drive. Look for low-traffic residential streets. Remember, according to state law, bikes can use the full lane.
If you are on a street where it would be dangerous for a vehicle to pass, bike in the middle of the lane. Ask others in your community which roads are the best for biking and walking, and learn from their experience.
“Infrastructure often varies significantly across roadways,” said Charlie Thomas, of Bike Law Louisiana. “Choose the lowest-stress route that serves your destination. The more enjoyable your commute by biking or walking, the more likely you will be to stick with this active and healthy option to get to where you’re going.”
Ultimately, bike and pedestrian safety comes down to building roads and paths that keep everyone safe.
“Streets built to share benefit everyone from safety and equity to economy and quality of life,” said Dan Favre, of Bike Easy. “When streets are designed to be safe for people walking, biking and rolling in wheelchairs, they are safer for people driving as well.”
Speak out to support road infrastructure for all people, especially for parts of your community where people rely on biking, walking and wheelchairs for transportation.
“Get involved with local street and highway projects,” said Mark Martin, of Bike Baton Rouge. “Almost all agencies are required to hold public input meetings. Go to the meetings. Tell the agency representatives what you would like to see.”
To learn more about making active transportation easier in your community, contact Jessica Stroope or email healthy communities@agcenter.lsu.edu.