TriMet receives grant for safety outreach

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

TriMet in Portland, Ore., has been awarded a $25,000 grant by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

 

This grant will go toward conducting safety outreach and aid in teaching riders and pedestrians to “Stay alert. Stay alive.” TriMet was one of eight national transit agencies to be awarded grant funds.

In collaboration with OLI, TriMet’s campaign will strive to reduce near misses and collisions among male pedestrians ages 18-34 via an educational campaign on Facebook, OregonLive.com and on television. The goal of the campaign will be to increase awareness of the risks of distracted behaviors around MAX and WES tracks and encourage people to think about the possible consequences of unsafe behaviors.

“TriMet’s core value of safety is not just for our operators and our riders, but for everyone in the communities we serve,” said TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane. “Our transit system spans roughly 530 square miles, so this grant and our partnership with Oregon Lifesaver, Inc., will allow us to further our core value and target our safety outreach toward young adults who ride TriMet or interact with the transit system.”

The FTA, a national partner and advisor of Operation Lifesaver, provides the funding for the grants.

“The Federal Transit Administration is pleased to partner with Operation Lifesaver because as rail transit expands in communities across the country, it is essential that riders, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have the education they need to remain safe near trains, tracks and at rail crossings,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff.

Nearly 20 transit agencies applied in the highly competitive grant selection process. In addition to TriMet, seven transit rail safety projects from across the country were awarded a total of $194,000 in grants.

Though no date has been set, OLI plans to run another competitive grant round in early 2014.

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