Nearly two years after a distracted driver hit and injured a cyclist on Harrison Bridge between Lafayette and West Lafayette, an ad hoc committee is finally close to realizing its goal of launching a bike safety campaign.
Lafayette Community Development Project Manager Margy Deverall says public comments collected from an online survey now underway will help shape the informational campaign to make drivers, cyclists and pedestrians more aware of each other.
She says the first step is to identify misconceptions, such as where drivers believe bikes belong on the roads, and which traffic rules cyclists think they have to obey.
“So as the design team works on this education and awareness program, they know where the weaknesses are,” Deverall says. “What kind of information needs to be made available, and how can we reach people and try and change their behaviors.”
Deverall says the two cities, Tippecanoe County, and the state pooled federal transportation dollars to finance the three-year $48,000 project. Representatives of Purdue University and Bicycle Lafayette also are involved.
She says the consulting team, including Indianapolis firms Health By Design and Empower Results, is on a tight schedule to evaluate the survey data and develop a marketing campaign.
"It will be a consistent brand, an image, so when people see it they'll know it's that safety message," Deverall says. "This is community-wide, so any of the jurisdictions can use it."
She says the goal is to launch the campaign in time for the “Bike To Work Day” event on May 19 at Riehle Plaza in downtown Lafayette.
