Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2014 announced the names of 11 transit agencies sharing $162,500 in grant funding for public awareness and safety education projects across the U.S.
The local transit agencies and state Operation Lifesaver programs will work together to produce educational projects featuring the OLI safety campaign alogan, See Tracks? Think Train!, OLI said.
The ongoing campaign's message is that whether driving or walking, when people see tracks, they should use caution and be alert for approaching trains. The campaign will increase public awareness of transit surroundings and help people pay attention in potentially dangerous situations.
"These grants assist local agencies with their educational safety campaigns and are important for reaching drivers, pedestrians and transit riders in their own communities," said OLI President and CEO Joyce Rose. "We want to thank the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for helping us promote the availability of the funds and we especially want to thank the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for providing the funding."
"The Federal Transit Administration is pleased to partner once again with Operation Lifesaver on this crucial campaign to raise awareness about the need for safety around transit," said FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan. "As more and more communities around the nation choose to build light rail, streetcars, and other transit services that operate alongside pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, we must continue to educate the public on the importance of putting safety first."
OLI said the winning agencies selected to receive a share of the funding include: Sacramento Regional Transit District; the City of Atlanta; Albuquerque, N.M.'s Rio Metro Regional Transit District, Illinois Operation Lifesaver/Metra; DART (shown in photo above); New Jersey Transit; St. Louis metro area's Bi-State Development Agency; Fort Worth Transportation Authority/The T; Ohio Operation Lifesaver/Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority; Utah Transit Authority; and Phoenix's Valley Metro.