The Coram Crosswalk: Feel Safe, Be Safe
A Dangerous Crosswalk
In Coram, MT, the town's only crosswalk is located at the top of Coram at the top of a busy hill, just around a corner. Poor sinage, combined with fast-moving cars make it so dangerous that community members don't want to use it. In 2019, a Montana Models team decided to take on this unsafe crossing.
Digging Deeper
The team began by documenting traffic activitiey in their town. They observed cars zooming past the crosswalk at more than 60 mph, and documented the places people were most likley to cross the streat. They also designed and carried out a survey to better undrestand resident and non-resident awareness of the survey. Not only did they hear stories of people narrowly avoiding being hit while in the crosswalk, they found that more than one-third of the full-time residents they surveyed did not know the crosswalk was there! At camp, the team consulted with the Western Transportation Institute to understand how engineers mitigate traffic through residential towns like theirs. They also presented their findings to local business leaders and Department of Transportation officials.
Click on the image for a larger view of Coram's poster!