Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan (left) and Paula Marinoni hold Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day signs Wednesday morning at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Lafayette Street.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
The 10th annual Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day is Wednesday, Oct. 9 in Fayetteville.
The annual event aims to remind pedestrians and motorists to look before walking or driving through a crosswalk.
The campaign, first organized in Fayetteville by founder Paula Marinoni, is officially recognized by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and locally by Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan.
Marinoni, along with several city and University of Arkansas organizations, work each year to place volunteers at crosswalks around town to help spread the message that crosswalk safety is a shared responsibility.
Crosswalk safety tips
- Drivers are required by law to stop for pedestrians in designated crosswalks.
- Pedestrians should use crosswalks when crossing streets, both on and off school campuses.
- Pedestrians should never step into the street before making sure that drivers see them and that their vehicles are actually stopping.
- Neither drivers nor pedestrians should be using their cell phones as they approach a crosswalk.
“Fayetteville is unique in that we have over 36,000 students making their way to classes every weekday during the school year,” said Marinoni. “The goal is that every student in Fayetteville will get the message about crosswalk safety and most residents of Fayetteville will see a bright yellow and red sign which reinforces the message every year.”
Marinoni said it’s important to note that scooters belong on the street, not the sidewalk, and must respect crosswalks just like any other motorist.
This year’s participants are the Fayetteville Police Department; Fayetteville Fire Department; City of Fayetteville; Community Services; the Chamber of Commerce; Fayetteville Public Schools and Fayetteville private schools.
Participating groups on the University of Arkansas campus include the UA Police Department; faculty and staff; Facilities Management; Gregson and Gibson dorms; Delta Delta Delta and Pi Beta Phi sororities; and Lambda Chi Alpha and Kappa Sigma fraternities.
