RALEIGH – Seven new communities will soon benefit from participation in Watch for Me NC, a comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle safety program aimed at reducing bicycle and pedestrian crashes and fatalities in North Carolina.
The Watch for Me NC program, now in its fourth year, provides training for law enforcement officers on ways to improve safety for road users in their areas. Communities also will receive technical assistance, materials and purchased media promotion such as radio advertisements to raise public awareness about pedestrian and bicycle safety.
“We are excited to welcome both returning and new community partners,” said Heather Hildebrandt, interim director of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division. “The Watch for Me NC program continues to provide local communities with valuable training and resources to keep North Carolina safe for all bikers, pedestrians and drivers.”
The program leverages the strengths of law enforcement and public education to encourage safe and secure places to walk and bike. The NCDOT selected the following new partners to join 23 returning communities across the state:
- Mocksville (Davie)
- Mooresville (Iredell)
- Oxford (Granville)
- Sparta (Alleghany)
- Sylva (Jackson)
- Washington (Beaufort)
- Wilmington (New Hanover)
The new partners join 23 returning communities, which include:
- Apex (Wake)
- Asheville (Buncombe)
- Beaufort (Carteret)
- Carrboro (Orange)
- Charlotte (Mecklenburg)
- Cornelius (Mecklenburg)
- Creedmoor (Granville)
- Durham (Durham)
- East Carolina University (Pitt)
- Elizabeth City (Pasquotank)
- Forest City (Rutherford)
- Fuquay-Varina (Wake)
- Garner (Wake)
- Greensboro (Guilford)
- Greenville (Pitt)
- Kill Devil Hills (Dare)
- Murphy (Cherokee)
- Pine Knoll Shores (Carteret)
- Roanoke Rapids (Halifax)
- Shelby (Cleveland)
- Transylvania County
- Wendell (Wake)
- Winston-Salem (Forsyth)
The UNC Highway Safety Research Center provides technical support with campaign implementation and evaluation. For more information about the program, visit Watch for Me NC’s website.