Date: Wed Aug 20 09:27:07 2008 Subject: Improving Pathway Safety Through Education From: Citynewsroom -----BEGIN MD5 ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- CITY OF CALGARY PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ----------------------------------------------------------------- Are cyclists who ride on Calgary’s pathways required to wear a helmet? Do dogs need to be leashed when they are on the pathway? These are a few of the skill-testing questions that the City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services’ Public Education Advisors will be asking pathway users. The questions are part of a quiz designed to educate users and improve their awareness of safety on Calgary’s multi-use pathway system. For the next several weeks, a team of Bylaw Officers and Public Education Advisors will be seen at various locations along the pathway talking about Calgary’s bylaws and ensuring that people are in compliance. “This is an educational initiative focused on helping people understand their role in making our pathways safer for all users,” says Bill Bruce, the Director of Animal & Bylaw Services. “We are also looking for opportunities to assist people in concrete ways. For example, we have some youth bike helmets and if we determine that a young person isn’t wearing a helmet because of financial constraints, we will give them one. Similarly, if people don’t have bells, we educate them and then attach a bell to their bike.” The goal of this program is to use education to change attitudes and behaviours regarding personal responsibility and safety when using the pathway. Besides the helmets and bells, Animal & Bylaw Services has small promotional items for citizens who correctly answer their pathway-related questions and are observed displaying courteous and responsible behaviours. This is one of two pathway initiatives that Animal & Bylaw Services have organized this summer. -30- Public Contact Information: Call 3-1-1 Public Email Contact: 3-1-1contactus@calgary.ca -----END MD5 3742c3baa3b5aeea172d132c9975e134-----