Robert Bongiorno
Chief of Police
2 Mudge Way
Bedford, MA 01730
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: john@jgpr.net
Bedford Police Receive Grant to Enhance Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
BEDFORD — Chief Robert Bongiorno announces that the Bedford Police Department will be improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety in town through a grant administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Highway Safety Division.
The $3,000 grant, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be used for enforcement and decoy patrols, breakaway signs, crosswalk reflective tape and education and outreach. The goal is to help drivers, pedestrians and cyclists properly share the road.
“We are fortunate to be one of the departments receiving this grant so we can continue to improve the safety of our pedestrians and bicyclists,” Chief Bongiorno said. “With recent warm temperatures and spring getting closer, it is particularly important for everyone on the road to be extra cautious to ensure that no one is putting themselves or others in harm’s way.”
The Massachusetts Traffic Records Analysis Center reports that there have been 320 fatal injuries and 3,456 serious or incapacitating injuries sustained by pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes from 2008 to 2012. During the same time frame, bicyclists sustained 1,106 serious or incapacitating injuries and 43 fatal injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes.
“Bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to the motoring public because they may not be immediately visible to drivers and unlike those in vehicles, nothing protects them from impact,” said Bedford’s Traffic Enforcement Officer Marc Saucier. “All users need to learn to share the road safely and be mindful of one another and the law.”
The Bedford Police Department is one of 71 police departments to receive part of the $280,000 in funding specifically provided to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety in the Commonwealth.
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