Established in 2023, the program promotes safe practices for pedestrians and bicyclists while emphasizing drivers’ responsibility to watch for others on the road. Courtesy photo

YOLO COUNTY, CA (MPG) – The Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has been awarded a $290,630 grant to continue its Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.

Established in 2023, the program promotes safe practices for pedestrians and bicyclists while emphasizing drivers’ responsibility to watch for others on the road.

Funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the grant will support various initiatives through September.

These efforts include conducting community bicycle and walk audits to assess the streets with high rates of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities, offering bicycle training courses that educate youth on safe riding behaviors and providing helmet fittings and distributions to those in need.

Additionally, the Health and Human Services Agency will host educational presentations in schools, organize community bike rides to encourage and teach riders safe riding practices, and lead walking field trips for older adults while providing pedestrian-safety education for individuals experiencing homelessness. The program will also offer crossing guard training for individuals responsible for pedestrian safety at crosswalks.

“The safety of people walking and biking on our roads is a top priority for our office,” stated Office of Traffic Safety Director Stephanie Dougherty. “Everyone moves and not always by car. It’s important that we invest in efforts to protect people walking, biking and rolling that help establish a strong traffic safety culture where everyone on California roads can travel to and from places safely.”

For more information on Health and Human Services Agency’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, contact the program at [email protected]. Residents can call Yolo 2-1-1 for resource information and follow Health and Human Services Agency on Facebook @YoloCountyHHSA.