Roads and Community Paths Safety Tips

Courtesy of The Community Paths Task Force

It's getting dark early again...time to see and be seen on our busy roads and community paths. Below are a few tips to help keep you safe as you enjoy our beautiful community. 

• If you're walking or exercising, safety precautions are especially important as visibility becomes difficult for both you and drivers of cars, trucks, and golf carts. Help drivers see you by wearing bright clothing or fluorescent markings on a vest, light jacket, or hat. If you're walking a pet, keep the leash short and near you so the pet will be seen alongside you. 
• Never ride a bike in the dark without a strong light on the front and a reflector on the back.
• If it's necessary to walk on a narrow, local street without a community path, stay along the edge on the left side, against the flow of traffic.
• We are fortunate in The Landings to have not only miles of community paths but also many wide streets, some with marked multi-modal lanes on the right side for pedestrians, bicycles, and carts. When walking or exercising in the dark, know your terrain and choose carefully. Depending on visibility, uneven surfaces and other considerations along your specific route, choose whether the multi-modal lane or the community path is safer for you. Either way, carry your own light so you can see ahead and others will see you.
• If you're wearing a bright light on your head or on the front of a bicycle, aim the beam at a downward angle so that it illuminates the road or path immediately ahead and will not shine in the eyes of oncoming motorists, blinding them.

Whether walking, running, bicycling or driving, safety in the dark means planning ahead and showing courtesy to everyone around you.