Reading Police Awarded Pedestiran and Bicyclist Safety Grant

The Reading Police Department was recently awarded a $3000 grant by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Highway Safety Division from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The funding comes from $285,500 specifically provided toimprove pedestrian and bicyclist safety in the Commonwealth.

According to the Massachusetts Traffic Records Analysis Center, there have been 320 fatal injuries and 3,456 serious or incapacitating injuries sustained by pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes from 2008 to 2012.

During the same time frame, bicyclists sustained 1,106 serious orincapacitating injuries and 43 fatal injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes.

“Bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to the motoring public because they may not be immediately visible to drivers and unlike those in vehicles, nothing protects them from impact,”said Safety Officer David Savio. “All users need to learn to share the road safely and be mindful ofone another and the law. We’ll use the grant for education, enforcement and outreach we believewill help protect our pedestrians and cyclists from injuries and fatalities.”

Grantees will pay for enforcement and decoy patrols, breakaway signs and crosswalk reflective tape.The combination of enforcement techniques and equipment will help the department analyze and crack down on drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists who do not share the road appropriately, so no one puts themselves or others in harm’s way, according to Reading Police.