Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the Klements Racing Bratwurst will kick off Milwaukee's first annual StreetShare Pedestrian Safety Week next Monday, Oct. 6th. Click here to vew the list of events on the Pedestrian Safety Week page (or scroll down the navigation bar to the left) to see where you can join the Klements Racing Sausages, the Bucks Bango and other area mascots. You can also blog about pedestrian safety here:  www.streetshare.blogspot.com

People crossing the street to visit a neighbor, bicyclsts riding to work, parents driving the kids to a soccer game, motorcyclists owners out for a club ride, the elderly or disabled out shopping and truckers hauling freight - all have to share the same streets. But today's busy lives often have us in a rush, and many people speed, run red lights and don't stop to let pedestrians cross the street in their attempt to make up time.  And many motorists don't really understand what it means to yield the right of way to a pedestrian or when they have to stop.

The StreetShare program is designed to educate and encourage motorists about their responsibility to allow pedestrians to cross the street at a crosswalk, to drive within the speed limit and to share the road with bicyclists and other users.  But StreetShare is more powerful than many similar encouragement programs because our partners all have thousands of drivers that will be leading by example.  That means our streets will immediately be more pleasant and safer for pedestrians because all those drivers will be more considerate every day.

You can help make our streets safer and more pleasant for everyone. Take the StreetShare pledge below and click on a balloon on the left side of this page to find out more about the StreetShare and the rules of the road.

I pledge to:

1. Stop to let people cross the street - Many people do not understand that the law requires them to yield the right of way to pedestrians at a crosswalk. This means motorists must stop when they see a person waiting at the curb in a crosswalk and allow them to cross.
2. Drive within the speed limit, maybe slower, never faster - Speeding may be the hardest habit to break. but speeding is not only dangerous; it reduces property values for the homes along the street. Even 5 MPH over the limit is still over the limit, and can mean the difference between an injury or death in a collision with a pedestrian.
3. Watch for and take care when passing people on bicycles - The law requires motorists to give three feet when passing cyclists. Bicyclsts often need to be able to move a bit from side to side in order to balance and to avoid imperfections in the road surface.
4. Obey all laws and treat all other road users with courtesy and respect - This means crossing at crosswalks, not mid-block from between parked cars; stopping at red lights (bicyclists), even smiling at people in other cars ince on a while. 

For more detailed information about what it means to yield the right of way to pedestrians check out the illustration on the "Stop for Pedestrians" page linked with the ballon to the left.