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Watch for Me NC in Morrisville

  • Watch for Me NC participant since: 2016
  • Population: 20,000
  • Lead agency: Town of Morrisville Police Department

Background

Morrisville is located in Wake County, North Carolina and is part of the Research Triangle region. Home to the Raleigh Durham International Airport, and headquarters to companies such as Lenovo and Oracle, Morrisville is a rapidly growing community.  The town is crisscrossed with multiple interstate and state freeways from north to south, and major arterial roadways traverse the community in the east-west direction. Five rail crossings, including Amtrak passenger service, exist in Morrisville. Citizens have expressed growing support for a complete streets approach in the community.

Partnerships

The Morrisville Police Department and the town’s Public Safety Advisory Committee are working collaboratively to increase road safety in the town.

Education and Enforcement Activities

Morrisville’s Police Department took part in a number of important local events in order to get the Watch for Me NC message out. The campaign kickoff happened in May with National Walk and Bike to School Day. National Night Out, an event whose goal is ‘to strengthen the police-community partnership’, attracted over 400 people in 2017. The town’s Coffee with a Cop was an additional worthwhile outlet for the bicycle and pedestrian safety message. Officers conducted numerous crosswalk education and enforcement events in Morrisville. Locations included Morrisville Parkway in front of Morrisville Elementary School, Town Hall Drive and Downing Glen and Town Hall Drive in front of Cedar Fork Elementary School. In a three-hour period, officers stopped over 40 motorists and issued warnings or citations for crosswalk violations, speeding and overall unsafe driving. During the campaign Morrisville’s Police Department issued over 80 warnings to drivers.

Key Outcomes

Community outreach efforts were important in building understanding and fostering respect for pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Motorists traveling near Morrisville’s schools were made more aware of pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

Lessons Learned

  • Collaboration between Town planning and traffic safety officers can produce positive outcomes for a community.

Credit

Thank you to Patrice V Andrews and Felecia Sykes at the Town of Morrisville Police Department for providing leadership, time, and expertise that contributed to the Watch for Me NC Campaign in Morrisville and the writing of this profile