Last week, we told you about a new program the city of Little Rock created to pair experienced bikers, with those who want to learn the ins and out of commuting safely.
With city infrastructure constantly changing to accommodate all types of travel, the city wants to make sure all kinds of commuters know how to share the road with a new program now just for drivers.
The Little Rock Friendly Driver Program targets motorists who want to learn how to maneuver along new road designs in the company of bicyclists and pedestrians.
“How do you know where the bike should be, where the pedestrian should be, where the care should be and who should yield to who? Nobody really knows,” said John Landosky, with BikePed Little Rock.
As more people travel by bike and on foot, Little Rock is working to make sure everyone can move around as they please without getting hurt.
"I've seen before where they'll go by you 45, 50, 60 miles an hour like two feet away. That's really unsafe,” bicyclist Terry Wu added.
The Little Rock Friendly Driver program was created for those of you behind the wheel.
“This program is really exciting. It was developed in Fort Collins, Colorado. They launched it and had a lot of success,” Landosky said.
Designed with Little Rock and Arkansas traffic laws in mind, the program will designate drivers who complete the program as "Little Rock Friendly Drivers"
And businesses who encourage their fleet drivers to take the course "Little Rock Friendly Driver Businesses"
“We're starting to development new infrastructure on the streets, new bike lanes, new street crossing. There's this thing called the pedestrian hybrid beacon. People don't know what to do with that if they've taken a driver's ed course 10 or 20 years ago,” Landosky said.
The city hopes to promote ridership as all commuters learn how to coexist safely.
“The right turn is one of the worst things that can happen to a bicyclist. Because it looks like the cyclists runs into the car. When in reality, the bike has to be three feet from the side. The rules are the same as cars and we will go straight ahead,” bicyclist Coreen Frasier said.
The city is taking applications for a Friendly Driver Program Supervisor to oversee operations. For information, click here.
This program is funded by a grant that will be announced on July 18.