For more information, contact:

Ted Burton, Public Relations Manager, 389-7550

www.capmetro.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2000

CAPITAL METRO MAKING ROADS SAFER FOR BIKERS AND WALKERS

The death of Matthew Bohr July 18^th is a tragic reminder of the need to continue raising public awareness concerning bike safety. With the help of the Texas Bicycle Coalition, Capital Metro has developed a new safety training program which teaches drivers how to anticipate the reactions of bikers and walkers. Bohr was killed by a van last Tuesday as the teenager left a northwest Austin library on his bicycle. “His death reminds of us there’s a fragile coexistence between bikers and drivers who share our roads,” said Karen Rae, General Manager of Capital Metro. Texas ranks third behind Florida and California in the number of bicycle fatalities. More than half of all bike injuries and a third of the deaths occur to boys between the ages of 5 and 15. Bohr was 14.

Capital Metro’s safety training program is unique because it’s geared towards drivers, not cyclists, walkers and runners. “Our drivers need to understand they’re sharing the roads with pedestrians and cyclists,” said Mark Ostertag, Safety Coordinator at Capital Metro. “We want to make sure they understand what to watch out for.” Ostertag created the program with the help of the Texas Bicycle Coalition.

The program presents drivers with specific examples of what to watch out for when they see bikers and walkers out on the road. It teaches drivers to assess road conditions just as a cyclist would, so they can then predict and anticipate how the biker will react. “ When a biker sees glass or gravel on the edge of a roadway, they react differently than someone behind the wheel of a car,” said Ostertag. “Prior to this project, there wasn’t a lot of material out there from the perspective of the driver. Most of it centered on what cyclists and pedestrians should be doing around cars.”

Capital Metro now uses the safety-training program to train bus operators “The material obviously helped me professionally,” said bus operator Howard Caron. “It also helped me as a parent of 8 and 9 year old boys.”

CMTA is also sharing the program with other transit agencies. Houston Metro, The “B” in Corpus Christi, and VIA in San Antonio are planning to incorporate the program into their training. Out-of-state transit agencies in Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Memphis, TN, Concord, CA, Sacramento, CA, Reno, NV, Orlando, FL, and Tampa, FL, are also using Capital Metro’s program to train their drivers

Capital Metro recently shared a version of the program that was modified to apply to all drivers with the Texas Bicycle Coalition, the Houston Area Bicycle Coalition, and the Texas Department of Public Transportation. Jacqueline Magill is with TxDOT’s Traffic Safety Program, Austin District. “We appreciate the interest and efforts by Capital Metro to increase community awareness about cycling, and pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic safety issues. It is through sharing innovative projects like this program the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities can be avoided and reduced.”

For more information about the safety program, or to schedule a presentation, call Mark Ostertag at 389-7478.