You might have noticed the brightly colored umbrellas SDOT is placing with merchants in downtown and Pioneer Square. They are part of our Holiday Pedestrian Safety Campaign, which aims to remind drivers and pedestrians to slow down and be more aware of each other.
Collisions involving pedestrians and cars increase significantly during Seattle’s dark and rainy winter months. Through this public awareness campaign SDOT seeks to prevent collisions, especially severe ones, during a time of year when everyone is in a hurry.
Our campaign’s tag line is, “See You in the Crosswalk.” As everyone uses that shared roadway space, we want drivers and pedestrians to be more aware of their environment during the holiday season and beyond. Our umbrellas, which are to be used between participating merchants and returned, have the two-fold benefit of increasing campaign awareness and making users more visible to drivers.
As part of this campaign, you will also see Metro bus ads, posters, stickers on pay stations, window displays and publicity events. Our overall budget is approximately $47,000, with umbrellas costing about $5,000, funded through Bridging the Gap as part of Pedestrian Master Plan implementation. That is a small amount of money to spend on safety, especially if it prevents just one collision or saves one life.
See You in the Crosswalk!
