Nine years ago, I was badly injured on Halloween night while walking my dog. A manhole cover was broken, the lighting was bad and there was no hazard tape around the area. Talk about scarey! I spent that evening in a local emergency room and was out of commission for at least a week. It took about eight weeks to fully heal and I ended up with back problems that took several months more to fix. So this year, I’m posting some safety tips brought to you by Fehr And Peers on behalf of CLIFKid.

Check sidewalks. Look for tripping hazards (created by cracks or uneven pavement) as well as missing chunks of sidewalk. Also, are cars or other objects (utility poles, newspaper racks, etc.) blocking the sidewalk? Gauge the traffic. Does the speed or amount of traffic make this location feel uncomfortable? Do you have personal safety concerns walking in this location?

Quick Fix: Clear debris from your sidewalk and the path to your doorway. Be sure parked cars don’t block the sidewalk. Move trash and recycle bins away from the curb. Use common household items, like “caution” signs taped to folding chairs, to warn of uneven sidewalks. Trim hedges and other landscaping that may block the sidewalk.

Long Term Fix: For sidewalk repairs, contact your local department of public works or dial 311 if available in your community. As a property owner, you may be responsible for repairs to the sidewalk in front of your home. Consider discussing your personal safety concerns with the police department as well as city planning staff.

What about lighting? Are your own porch and walkways well lit? Are neighborhood streetlights burned out? Are sections of the street very dark?

Quick Fix: Enhance residential outdoor lighting with inexpensive, battery-powered wall push-lights or lights with a clamp for fences or railings. You can even replace your green and red holiday lights with orange bulbs!

Long Term Fix: For street lights, contact your city’s public works department and request broken or blinking lights to be changed out. You can also request additional lighting (and lighting that is designed for a pedestrian rather than a car) to be installed.

Do trees or other objects block signs or traffic signals? Are “walk” push buttons broken at traffic signals?
Do you have to rush to cross at traffic signals? Do drivers tend to roll through stop signs or run red lights? Do pedestrians disobey traffic signals?

Quick Fix: Trim bushes, trees and other growth away from traffic signs and corners. Contact your local public works department for bigger landscape maintenance jobs. Contact public works to repair broken push buttons. Consider speaking with the police to request additional enforcement of traffic laws.

Long Term Fix: If a traffic sign is unreadable, contact your local public works department to repair or replace the sign or discuss opportunities, with public works, for increasing your time to cross at a traffic signal.

Do trees, cars or other objects block visibility of the crosswalk? Is the crosswalk paint faded? Are painted crosswalks missing for key locations? Are you uncomfortable crossing in certain areas?

Quick Fix: Make eye contact with drivers when crossing the road (and with pedestrians when you are a driver). Wear bright clothing, especially when walking at night. Cross behind buses. Remember, you may not be visible behind parked cars or landscaping.

Long Term Fix: If crosswalks need to be updated, call your city’s public works department. Request installation of additional painted crosswalks if a painted crosswalk is not available at locations you frequently cross. Discuss opportunities for enhanced crosswalks (with flashing lights, etc.) with the public works department. If drivers are not yielding to pedestrians, talk to police to request additional enforcement or work with city staff to request an educational campaign on crosswalk laws and pedestrian safety in your area.

This article was written by Fehr And Peers on behalf of CLIFKid and edited by MotherOfBun.