Striped crosswalks to raise pedestrian safety awareness

Fairfield downtown streets will be sporting new stripes to raise pedestrian safety awareness, thanks to a five-year Community Transformation Grant.

?The state applied for the federal grant from the Center for Disease Control,? said Chris Estle-Tedrow, director of Jefferson County Public Health. ?Jefferson County is one of 26 Iowa counties that received funding.

?The intent of the grant is to make communities healthier.?

Marking crosswalks with diagonal striping inside the two parallel lines makes the crosswalks more visible; that is intended to help motorists be more aware of pedestrian zones and crossings, with the aim of creating a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly community.

?Right now, we?re planning to paint stripes by the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center, in the downtown area and two blocks within downtown,? said Kevin Flanagan, city administrator. ?It?s to remind drivers that pedestrians have the right-of-way when they are inside the crosswalk. We?re striving for a more pedestrian-friendly community.

?We?ll eventually include crosswalks near the library, schools and the intersection near Hy-Vee.?

Flanagan said plans also are to add lighting and signage to crosswalks for improved safety and visibility.

Jefferson County is nearing the end of the first of five years of the $88,000 annual grant funds, said Estle-Tedrow.

?It?s not used only for crosswalks,? she said. ?We used funds to make curb cuts; we?ll be installing more bike racks around town. The idea is to make communities more walkable by improving infrastructure, to create smoke-free multiple housing units, to post ?I messages? on billboards, such as ?I am responsible for my health.? We?re working with Fairfield Park and Recreation to educate the community.?

Grant coordinator for Jefferson County, Heather Miller, a registered nurse in the public health department, also is working on a Nutritional Environment Measurement Survey.

?We?re partnering with park and rec and the Jefferson County Health Center,? said Miller. ?We?re looking at contents in vending machines, food offered at area restaurants and in convenience stores. It?s voluntary and confidential; we won?t be publishing the results. But we do give the businesses a scorecard about the nutritional value of foods offered. The scoring system involves three levels, represented by colors in traffic stoplights.?

A green code means it?s a good nutritional choice, go ahead and eat these foods. A yellow code means it?s OK to eat but it?s not the healthiest choice, so use caution. And a red code is the unhealthiest choice, stop and make a better choice.

?The scorecard measures what?s available and the program is designed to give options,? said Miller. ?In the future, we also plan to work with the hospital on self-management of chronic diseases.?