“Keep Our Future Safe” with Traffic Safety Awareness
29 February 2008
Kids are faced with enough challenges at school and traffic safety should not be one of them. Child safety will be the focus of the Richmond District Parents Association’s 11th annual Traffic Safety Awareness Week, taking place March 3 - 7.
The goal of this annual campaign is to raise community awareness about creating safer traffic environments in neighbourhoods, particularly around schools. This will be done through driver and pedestrian education and through the promotion of safe transportation options that reduce vehicle congestion.
“Keep Our Future Safe” initiatives taking place during the week include:
- The Way to Go! “Walking Yellow Wednesday” inter-school challenge on Wednesday, March 5.
- This year’s host school is Wowk Elementary School, 5380 Woodwards Road. Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Richmond School Trustees, the RCMP Safety Bear, ICBC Captain Click and BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation mascots will participate in a walk with elementary school children starting from the west end of Lackner Crescent at 8:20 a.m.
- The school with the highest student participation will receive the Mayor’s Golden Shoe trophy.
- Activation of two new V-Calm driver awareness units on Woodwards Road in the vicinity of Wowk Elementary School. These devices detect and display vehicle speeds along with an optional message that may read, “Speed Limit” or “Slow Down.”
- Increased traffic enforcement and speed monitoring around school zones and at crosswalks.
You can help keep our community “road safe” by reviewing pedestrian skills, planning the best walking routes to school with your children, encouraging your children to participate in the “Walking Yellow Wednesday” challenge and obeying traffic safety regulations.
Traffic Safety Awareness Week is presented by the Richmond District Parents Association and sponsored by ICBC Loss Prevention, the Autoplan Broker Road Safety Program, Richmond School Board and the City of Richmond, with the participation of Richmond RCMP, the Way to Go! School Program, BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, BEST, and Richmond Health Services.
