City wants to reward pedestrians and cyclists who put safety first 

BRANTFORD, ON – As daylight saving time ends this weekend when the clocks “fall back” an hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 4th, the City wants to remind pedestrians and cyclists of the importance of being visible to drivers and other motorized vehicles on our roads, sidewalks and trails.
With more hours of darkness, cyclists and pedestrians and people using other modes of transportation, such as mobilized scooters, wheelchairs and e-bikes are reminded to wear bright/reflective clothing so they are more visible to drivers. All bikes should also be equipped with lights to ensure they are seen.

As part of the City’s ongoing Vision Zero Road Safety program, and to encourage more pedestrians and cyclists to take note of the importance of being visible at night, beginning Monday, November 5th, the City will give away a bicycle light to the first 20 people who post a picture of themselves on the City’s Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofbrantford wearing bright and/or reflective clothing.

The Vision Zero Road Safety program is focused on eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries, with an emphasis on pedestrian, school children, older adults, cyclist and motorcyclist safety and reducing aggressive and distracted driving.

In July, Council passed a motion to adopt Vision Zero Road Safety to set the simple and clear goal of zero fatalities or serious injuries on city roadways.

In 2017, there were 1,760 collisions on municipal roads, 41 of which involved bikes and 45 involved pedestrians. Of those collisions, 297 resulted in injuries and two deaths.

Vision Zero Road Safety was founded in Sweden in 1997 and is a global initiative that stresses that no loss of life is acceptable, road safety is a shared responsibility and working together will contribute to a safe road network.

Locally, by adopting the initiative, the City aims to make Brantford streets safer through improved education, enforcement, engineering, evaluation and engagement.

“The community is embracing the concept that no loss of life is acceptable when it comes to road safety,” Beth Goodger, General Manager of Public Works said. “It’s a shared responsibility and people must work together to stay safe.”

“We want the community to know that their safety is our number one priority”, said Ting Ku, the City’s Manager of Transportation Services. “The shift to more hours of darkness in the fall is a perfect time to remind people of the easy ways in which they can help ensure their safety and the safety of others.”


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Media Contact:

Maria Visocchi - Director, Communications & Community Engagement
City of Brantford | 519.751.9900 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca