RESOURCES
Resources to help you advocate for safer roads for runners, walkers, and cyclists in your community
(this is a working resource page that will be continually updated, so check back often!)
**NEW** Download our latest resources
Template Letter to Elected Officials with a Safe Streets Call to Action
Safety Tips for Running in the Dark - infographic in English AND Spanish
Open Streets Guide for Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
What can you do?
As a concerned citizen, there are a number of things you can do to advocate for safer streets in your community.
(this is a working resource page that will be continually updated, so check back often!)
**NEW** Download our latest resources
Template Letter to Elected Officials with a Safe Streets Call to Action
Safety Tips for Running in the Dark - infographic in English AND Spanish
Open Streets Guide for Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
What can you do?
As a concerned citizen, there are a number of things you can do to advocate for safer streets in your community.
If you have...
5 Minutes
15 Minutes
- Download a template letter to policymakers, customize it based on your personal experience, and send it to your local elected officials. Request that your elected officials work to design safer streets in your community that protect ALL road users, not just vehicles.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper advocating for safer streets and road design in your community. Has your town just enacted new protected bike lanes? Write to share your support! Does your neighborhood need more traffic calming measures to prevent drivers from speeding or driving distracted? Write a letter calling for changes to local road design. Use your voice!
50 Minutes
- Request a meeting with your local elected officials (city councilperson or mayor) and share your road safety story in person! Educate your elected officials and discuss how to make your roads more pedestrian- and bike-friendly! (Check out our resources to support your advocacy efforts, such as our Open Streets guide!)
- Educate stakeholders in your community about the benefits of traffic calming measures, protected bike lanes, etc and about why it is important to make your neighborhood more bikeable, walkable, and runable.
- Conduct a street assessment in your community to determine what types of traffic-calming measures and other road design aspects are necessary to improve road safety in your neighborhood. Safe on the Road will be hosting free online trainings to take you through step-by-step how to conduct an assessment and walk you through the tools you need to gather insightful data. Sign up for our newsletter to learn about the next training!
Other things you can do:
Educate Yourself
Familiarize yourself with the basics of road safety
- Traffic Calming Primer
- Running Safety Tips for running in dark
- Pedestrian Safety Tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Bicycle Safety Tips from the NHTSA
Use Your Voice
Share your concerns and engage with elected officials
- Contact your city council member or other city officials - call, write a letter, or send an email outlining issues and providing examples to highlight your concerns.
- Request a meeting or ask to be included on the agenda at the next public meeting of elected officials.
Take Action
In Providence, RI:
- Contact Providence 311, the Mayor's Center for City Services.
- You can access PVD 311 via phone, on the web, or in the app to let the city know about dangerous intersections, areas where traffic calming measures are needed, or where street interventions are needed to improve pedestrian and bike safety.
- Contact your City Councilperson to share your constituent concerns and request traffic calming measures on busy streets in your neighborhood, to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic calming measures such as speed humps and raised intersections as well as additional signage alerting drivers to share the road can all help to encourage more responsible, safe driving.
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