Wello's 'Frogger' crosswalk events remind all to yield to your neighbors on foot and on bikes
The start of another school year is just around the corner. Whether parents are excited to see their children head back to the classroom is debatable, but we can agree we want our children to safely get to school regardless if they're driven, walking or riding their bikes.
Wello’s Yield to Your Neighbor campaign aims to raise awareness around bicycle and pedestrian safety to make it safer for children going to school, and for all residents in Brown County driving, walking, biking and rolling throughout our community.
Crosswalk Education and Enforcement or “Frogger” events are a great way the community can take action to help make that a reality. The next Frogger event takes place just in time for the start of the school year, on Aug. 30.
Frogger events raise awareness and educate the community on the state law that drivers must yield to pedestrians when in a crosswalk. The Motor Vehicle Code that corresponds to this effort is Ch. 346.24(1), which states: “At an intersection or crosswalk where traffic is not controlled by traffic control signals or by a traffic officer, the operator of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian or personal delivery device, or to a person riding a bicycle or electric personal assistive mobility device in a manner which is consistent with the safe use of the crosswalk by pedestrians, that is crossing the highway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk.”
Wello partners with local law enforcement to make this initiative possible, including Ashwaubenon Public Safety, Brown County Sheriff's Office, De Pere Police Department, Green Bay Police Department and Village of Pulaski Police Department. We thank them for their commitment to making it easier and safer for all to move throughout our community.
Our first Frogger event in June saw participation in nine municipalities, resulting in 149 warnings issued to drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians and 398 vehicles yielding properly.
As with all past and future Crosswalk Education and Enforcement events, these events are about educating our community and not an excuse to issue tickets. That is why all locations are publicly shared prior to the event and at www.wello.org. So be sure to follow us on social media to see these details published as we get closer to Aug. 30.
In addition to Frogger efforts, the Yield to Your Neighbor campaign includes additional educational materials made possible through a grant from Schneider. Their support has allowed us to purchase Yield to Your Neighbor yard signs that will start popping up throughout our community as well as additional billboards. If you would like a Yield to Your Neighbor yard sign for your home or place of work, email us at hello@wello.org to schedule a pickup time.
The final Frogger event will take place Oct. 5, which coincides with International Walk to School Day as well as Pedestrian Safety Month. Remember, Yield to Your Neighbor because it’s safer, it’s courteous, and it’s the law.
Mario Gonzalez is the communications and marketing manager for Wello. Wello's purpose is to co-create community conditions that are fair and just to drive high levels of health and well-being for all. Share your thoughts, questions and topic suggestions by emailing hello@wello.org.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wello's 'Frogger' crosswalk events remind all to yield to neighbors
