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Street Smart Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Campaign. Briefing to the Transportation Planning Board March 19, 2008. Item #11. Michael Farrell, TPB Staff. The Problem: Pedestrian and Bicyclist Deaths. Total: 419 Fatalities. The “Street Smart” Campaign.
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Street Smart Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Campaign Briefing to the Transportation Planning Board March 19, 2008 Item #11 Michael Farrell, TPB Staff
The Problem: Pedestrian and Bicyclist Deaths Total: 419 Fatalities
The “Street Smart” Campaign • Concentrated waves of radio, transit, and Internet advertising • Designed to change driver and pedestrian behavior • Supported by concurrent law enforcement • Evaluation: Before and after survey • Funded by federal safety grants with matching contributions from WMATA, TPB member governments • Now done twice per year, timed with the changes to and from Daylight Savings Time • Current campaign throughout the month of March
Why Have a Media Campaign? • Three E’s of Safety: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement • “Street Smart” educates through mass media • Drive-time radio reaches drivers while they drive • Transit ads at targeted locations reach pedestrians while they walk • Highly publicized law enforcement • A single campaign for a single media market • Other programs address other aspects of Pedestrian Safety • School-Based Education • The “Safe Routes to School” Program • Driver Education/Licensing • Design/Build Safe Streets and Communities
March 2008 Media Campaign • Radio 450 spots $93,000 • Transit $117,000 • Transit Shelters 22 • Bus Sides 115 • Interior Cards 400 • Mobile Billboard 1 • Collateral Materials $21,000 • Posters 4,500 • Handouts 100,000 • Internet 2.4 million impressions $28,000 • Newspaper $31,000 • Web Site http://streetsmart.mwcog.org $5,000 • Public Relations $16,000 • Campaign Creation/Production $78,000 Total: $389,000
Kick-Off Press Event • Held Friday, March 7 • Hosted by Supervisor Penny Gross in the Baileys Crossroads area of Fairfax County • Board Members, Regional Officials, and Police Chiefs spoke or were present to show their support • Presence of over two dozen police officers from agencies around the region demonstrated law enforcement commitment • Most press coverage ever • Television • Radio • Washington Post, Examiner, Associated Press
Coordination with Law Enforcement • Enforcement is key • The press loves to report it • Ads get more attention if there is enforcement • Enforcement gets more attention if there are ads • Briefings and coordination with COG Police Chiefs Committee • New this year: pedestrian safety enforcement “best practices” training workshop at COG/TPB on February 28, attended by more than 50 police officers • Area police agencies report significant enforcement activity in conjunction with the campaign File photo of Arlington County Police speed enforcement in a pedestrian area. Source: ACPD
Coordination with Transit,Regional Pedestrian Safety Efforts • Participation and funding from WMATA • Transit ads focus on pedestrian safety near buses • In conjunction with other current WMATA safety efforts Announcement: Regional Pedestrian Safety Workshop Tuesday, April 29, 2008 National Press Club Sponsored by WMATA, COG, TPB, AAA, and Other Agencies
2008 Street Smart FundingTotal Budget Covering Both the Spring and Fall CampaignsCommitted to Date
Outlook & Next Steps • Fall campaign for November will be a continuation of the same campaign • Funding for FY 2009 • Letters requesting voluntary contributions at the agreed level of five cents per capita have been sent to the TPB member governments (as per TPB Resolution R20-2005) • Local funding is critical to provide match for federal grants, and to support the TPB recommendation of a twice-yearly campaign • Sustained effort over years is needed to reinforce the campaign messages and ensure long-run impact on safety • For more details see http://streetsmart.mwcog.org