Harnessing The MPS SafetyStick® for Safer Streets: A Call to Action
By Rob Mathews
As urban areas continue to grow, the need for innovative and effective street safety solutions becomes increasingly crucial. Recent advancements, like the Municipal Parking Services (MPS) SafetyStick are making significant strides in this arena. Highlighted in the latest Vision Zero webinar on quick and low-cost tools for safer streets, the SafetyStick offers numerous benefits to enhance community safety. Additionally, improvements in parking infrastructure play a vital role in this context by enhancing safety, improving compliance, and making streets better for everyone.
The Power of the SafetyStick
The Safetystick is a versatile, easy-to-install solar device designed to improve visibility and safety at critical street points through improved street parking and lane and parking zone enforcement. It is particularly effective in areas with high pedestrian and cyclist traffic, encouraging safer driver behavior. Its cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment make it an ideal solution for communities looking to make a swift impact on street safety without significant financial investment.
Vision Zero: A Partner in Safety
Vision Zero leads the movement to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries through safe, healthy, and equitable mobility. Their innovative programs, like Denver's SafetyStick initiative, have significantly improved street safety. As a nonprofit, the Vision Zero Network aims to advance this mission across the U.S., ensuring safe mobility for all, whether walking, biking, driving, or using transit. Preventable traffic crashes kill tens of thousands and injure millions annually, affecting our loved ones. Vision Zero believes these tragedies can be prevented.
Securing Grants for Community Safety
One of the key takeaways from the Vision Zero webinar is the availability of grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the implementation of safety tools like the SafetyStick. These grants are designed to help communities overcome financial barriers and prioritize street safety improvements. The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, currently open for applications, provides a unique opportunity for communities to secure funding. The deadline for this grant application is August 15, 2024. Learn more: Vision Zero Network Support Vision Zero: Donate.
We encourage community leaders and concerned citizens to advocate for these grants. Engaging with MPS can help secure the necessary funding and support to bring these life-saving tools to your neighborhoods.
For more details on the Vision Zero initiative and grant opportunities, visit Vision Zero Network. Feel free to email me directly, to schedule a brief demonstration to learn how the MPS SafetyStick improves street safety.
Together, we can turn the vision of safer streets into a reality.
- Rob Mathews