While traveling to class each morning, students can expect a chaotic and stressful exchange between other pedestrians and cyclists, which Madison police say they hope to fix with a new community outreach program.
In August, the Madison Police Department introduced the Pedestrian Bicycle Ambassador program, a new educational tool designed to increase communication between pedestrians and bicyclists.
The program consists of two ambassadors who attend local events, such as Badger football games and Ride the Drive, to teach the public about traffic safety, so they are “motivated to follow laws and etiquette,” according to MPD Lt. David Jugovich.
“The unique position of the ambassador allows us to use our police resources elsewhere to do that sort of enforcement and other sorts of police-related activity that our community expects us to deliver,” Jugovich said.
University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore and active bicyclist Kyla Pilliod said all commuters will be much safer if they are aware of the rules of the road.
“The first couple of passing periods are dangerous, especially because people are still sleepy,” Pilliod said. “University and Charter crosswalks become a big mob of pedestrians.”
UW-Madison sophomore and pedestrian Natalie Bretl also said she noticed danger at University and Charter Streets’ crosswalks due to bikers’ failure to obey the rules.
“Bikers are supposed to stop, but they go anyway,” Bretl said.
Jugovich said although bicyclists and pedestrians do not have licenses, there is a code of conduct they should follow.
“Bicycles are considered vehicles, and they are generally held to the same laws as our vehicular motor public,” Jugovich said.
Jugovich said the MPD wants to first educate the public through the ambassador program before enforcing the law.
“Just writing tickets won’t change [the aggressive] culture,” Jugovich said.
Jugovich also said he hopes the program will change the tense commuter traffic between pedestrians and bicyclists in Madison.
“We have a lot of interest in taking what is already a great community and building on that...and working out some of the conflict from that social perspective,” Jugovich said. “We’re hoping that slowly [the aggressive] culture changes and improves.”
