|
October
12,
2005 |
|
Metro Orange Line Safety Presentations Coming to More Than 100 San Fernando Valley Schools
Metro and the Los
Angeles Unified School District have partnered to deliver safety
presentations to more than 100 schools within a 1.5-mile radius of the
soon-to-open Metro Orange Line, bringing the agency's "Safety 1st"
message to thousands of Valley school students, teachers and parents. The safety program,
which includes an animated video presentation, drives home the
importance of obeying all signs, signals and street striping on the
transitway, now scheduled to open Oct. 29. Sixty-foot, 30-ton Metro
Liner buses are now being tested on the 14-mile alignment linking the
North Hollywood Metro Red Line Station to Warner Center in Woodland
Hills. The buses will provide access to many elementary, middle and high
schools along the route. Since the program
began in September, Metro already has conducted 33 safety presentations,
with an additional 28 scheduled by the transitway opening date.
Forty-one additional schools will be given safety presentations
following the opening. Of these 102 schools, 80 are elementary schools,
11 are middle schools and 15 are high schools. The Los Angeles
Unified School District (LAUSD) assisted Metro in identifying and
outreaching to the schools. LAUSD has sent Metro safety information to
school administrators and encouraged them to participate in the free
presentations. "We're always
interested in safe passage of our students to school, so this program
dovetails well with our own safety training efforts," said Tana Ball,
Director, School Safe Traffic Zone, Office of Environmental Health and
Safety, LAUSD. "We are encouraging as many area schools as possible to
take advantage of these excellent Metro safety presentations." Los Angeles County
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose supervisorial district includes
portions of the San Fernando Valley, said "I applaud Metro and the
LAUSD for working together to help keep our school children safe. Their
joint effort reminds us that safety must come first in the communities
surrounding the Metro Orange Line." "Educating
elementary school children on how to stay safe as passengers on the
Metro Orange Line, and as pedestrians maneuvering around the station and
railway can save lives," said Los Angeles City Councilmember Wendy
Greuel. "I am grateful to Metro and LAUSD for making safety
awareness a priority for our community." Metro has adapted its
popular, nationally recognized Rail Safety Training Program expressly
for the Metro Orange Line. A 20-minute presentation given by Metro
safety representatives provides school children with an overview of the
transitway and station intersections. Presenters show actual transitway
photos and renderings, pointing out specific safety factors relating to
each station. Safety guidelines are given for pedestrians, bicyclists
and motorists. The presentation is
followed by an eight-minute animated video entitled "Metro Orange Line
Sensation" that is primarily intended for elementary school-age
children. The video presentation tells of the adventures of several
youngsters who utilize the Metro Orange Line for the very first time on
their way across the San Fernando Valley to visit a friend. Youngsters
demonstrate both safe and unsafe behaviors with new Metro Liner buses at
stations and on the transitway in a fun, engaging manner. Following
Metro's visit to the schools, copies of the video are left with each
school's library for administrators to share with new groups of
students. Children have reacted
enthusiastically to the presentations, especially the animated video,
which is extremely popular with younger school kids. School children are
often the first to embrace innovative technologies such as the new
transitway and play an important part in transferring their knowledge
about the line and the need for safety to their parents, siblings and
others. Metro regularly
visits schools to teach about safety whenever the agency opens new
transit service in Los Angeles County. The agency's Rail
Safety Operations training has now been expanded to include transitway
safety, and Metro will be marshalling innovative technology such as the
animated videos and mobile safety theater to drive home safety around
Metro Bus and Rail services. "With the addition
of these hip videos and mobile safety theater, Metro has brought its
safety materials into the 21st century," said Lynda Bybee,
Deputy Executive Officer of Metro Community Relations. "We created our
own safety outreach program from scratch, and it is now considered a
benchmark for school-age safety training across the country." Elements of Metro's
Safety Program, including animated and live-action safety presentations
and public service announcements, have received numerous industry
awards. Transit agencies in New Jersey have licensed Metro's safety
materials to use in their own safety presentations, and other transit
agencies have expressed interested in licensing Metro's safety
products. For more information
on the Metro Orange Line, visit metro.net/orange line. Metro-147 |