Anytown Pedestrian Safety Walk - The National Pedestrian Safety Campaign

Anytown Pedestrian Safety Walk

Anytown, State*-Imagine an organized procession of students walking down Main Street. That's what Anytown Elementary's Second Grade Class Walk might look like on (day here), (date here) from noon until 2:00 p.m. The goal is to teach students, their parents and the community about pedestrian facilities such as traffic signals and crosswalks. The event is part of a weeklong series of activities planned for this month's continuation of the Anytown Pedestrian Safety Campaign.

Parents, educators, and Anytown High School students will chaperone as the children walk down Main from First Avenue to Washington Boulevard. It is a section of town that has the most pedestrian traffic signals and crosswalks. Local businesses are taking part in the event by sending representatives to the walk and allowing the children to hang posters about pedestrian safety in storefront windows and other appropriate places.

The walk will begin with a presentation given by Anytown High School's ninth grade art class. Using posters they've created, the students will explain what the three different pedestrian signal indications mean: Walk, Flashing Don't Walk and Don't Walk. Anytown Police will also participate in the presentation. Officer Mark Scholnik will talk about crosswalks and other designated crossing areas, and why using them is so important. He'll also warn students to look left, right, left and over their shoulder before starting to cross.

"It's a terrific opportunity for the children to connect what they're learning in the classroom with the real world," said Anytown Elementary School Principal Dolores Johnson. Sharon McGraw, a second grade parent says, "My daughter Amelia is one of the presenters. Since they began rehearsing, she's been talking a lot about pedestrian safety. Now when we walk to the library, she tells me to use the crosswalk. And when I'm driving, she tells me to stop for people crossing," McGraw said.

"We wanted to do something that would reach children, parents and the whole community," said (name here), the Anytown Pedestrian Safety Campaign Coordinator. "We're thankful to the school community and the businesses for helping to make the campaign a success," he/she added.

Event sponsors include Channel 7, Anytown Hardware store, and Anytown Bank. Channel 7's evening anchor, Jane Smith, will serve as master of ceremonies. And for two weeks following the event, Channel 7 will air public service announcements about pedestrian safety.

The walking tour ends at the intersection of Main and Washington Boulevard for a reason. That intersection has recently been refurbished with new crosswalk striping, two new pedestrian warning signs, and a new set of pedestrian traffic signals. Mary Johnson, a local Department of Transportation official, will be on hand to answer reporters' questions about the project.

For more information, please contact (Campaign Coordinator's name here) at (phone number) or (email address).

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