New billboard campaign addresses pedestrian safety in Palm Springs
Caltrans along with the City of Palm Springs along with several other agencies unveiled a new billboard campaign to raise awareness of pedestrian safety.
The safety campaign started in California and was announced in the Coachella Valley on Monday.
Several billboards are being put along I-10 and in Palm Springs for drivers to see. They depict people with solemn faces painted with tread marks. It’s a risk one resident says she has seen all too often.
“The community continues to tell the city that the speed of traffic is too fast,” Christine Hammond, a Palm Springs resident, said. “As long as the speed of traffic is fast…cars are going to hit.”
Hammond said she approved of the billboards.
The campaign comes as the Palm Springs has seen an increase in pedestrian deaths in recent years. According to Caltrans District 8, there have been six pedestrian fatalities on Palm Springs streets in 2016 compared to one fatality in 2016.
Doctors at Desert Regional Medical have witnessed an influx of patients over the years from traffic collisions and supported the new campaign.
“It’s going to save lives,” Dr. Frank Ercoli, Director of Trauma Services at Desert Regional Medical, said. “It’s going to raise public awareness. It will hopefully have a positive impact on the bicyclists, the pedestrians, and the drivers.”
Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes applauded the new campaign and believed the new approach would help make a difference.
“The timing of this could not be any better. it’s clear that there’s a need for it,” Chief Reyes said.
Caltrans says they plan on expanding the billboard campaign into the Inland Empire and the High Desert.
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