“The upbeat educational effort is part of a larger campaign to improve functionality of the paved path, highlight the recent physical upgrades, educate about a new 10 mph slow zone adjacent to Bayfront Park, and bring heightened awareness of the top priorities: safety and enjoyment,” county officials said at the time.
Share the Path, which features an array of colorful signage to urge users to be more aware of their surroundings and the myriad path users around them, was initiated by a partnership comprised of the County of Marin, the City of Mill Valley and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. While the partners were already working to improve safety on the path, a serious accident between a cyclist and pedestrians in September 2014 underscored the need for immediate action.
“We’d like all path users to be aware of their surroundings and courteous to other users,” said Marin County Parks’ Region 1 Superintendent Brian Sanford. “With this public education outreach, we’re confident that people enjoying the pathway will remember that it’s used by the young, old and everyone in between.”
Share the Path includes:
- Tables with public education materials at several coming events
- Targeted outreach to local schools, bikers, dog walkers, and other path user groups
- An “I share” pledge for path users to promote courteous use
- Colorful temporary signs along the pathway with simple, positive messages enticing people to “look and listen,” “use safe speeds,” and “keep right, pass left”
- Permanent signs reminding visitors that they are sharing the path with others
- The launch of sharethepathmarin.org
- Promotion of a #sharethepath hashtag for social media sharing
- Additional speed enforcement, with speeders facing a $158 ticket
So what do you think of the Share the Path campaign? Has it been effective? Tell us in the Comments below.