CDOT

It Worked: Readers Take Over CDOT’s Victim-Blaming #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs Campaign

Streetsblog readers from all over the country hijacked CDOT's #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs hashtag on Twitter, overwhelming the stale, refuted message that people walking and biking somehow bear the same responsibility on public as people operating multi-ton killing machines while surfing the internet.

3:22 PM GMT-0700 on June 15, 2018

It Worked: Readers Take Over CDOT’s Victim-Blaming #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs Campaign

Image: Twitter via @scmodstyle

Instead of making streets like Federal Boulevard (also known as highway 88) safer with proven physical interventions that calm traffic speeds, the Colorado Department of Transportation is trying to “educate” the carnage out of deadly city streets with a PR campaign (as usual).

It’s ridiculous that CDOT expects people walking and biking to bear the same responsibility on public streets as people operating multi-ton killing machines. So we asked you to flip the script — and you did.

Streetsblog readers from all over the country overwhelmed CDOT’s #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs hashtag on Twitter. Here are some of the best responses:

Some of you took CDOT’s Day-Glo wardrobe requirements to the next level…

https://twitter.com/scmodstyle/status/1007369324963565569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/UrbanDenver/status/1006626011213991936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/scmodstyle/status/1007361093495414787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Some people used their firsthand experiences to combat CDOT’s faux safety message…

https://twitter.com/geeesman/status/1007639631607689216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/coloradically/status/1007289292706762754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Also, the number of times I, as a pedestrian, have been an existential threat to a driver EVER is still zero. #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs https://t.co/3yDunAuP9a

— Chris Jones (@PickledEntropy) June 14, 2018

A quick search through the news of the day provides plenty of fodder too…

https://twitter.com/MountainDayTime/status/1007674193188610048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

. @ColoradoDOT “pedEsTriaNS HavE tHe RighT to bE ON roADs Just AS MUCH As dRiveRS DO. AnYtime yoU ARe A pEdeStrIaN on cOLoRado ROAdS, MAke sURE yoU are vIsIbLe tO DrIvERs. PedEStRIaNS SHOUlD STRIVE TO bE SafE ANd Seen.” #saFETySTaRTswIthaLLOfuS https://t.co/bavBLeCLCq

— Bob Gunderson (Retired) (@Bob_Gunderson) June 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/AndreaDeFrates/status/1007249317910835200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

One Denver City Council member weighed in…

https://twitter.com/CouncilSusman/status/1006965424649469952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

You all owned Colorado’s transportation department. Enjoy…

If you aren’t a skilled communicator, it is important to practice your messaging skills before you hit the busy airwaves. Many advocates offer lessons to help transpo agencies become better communicators. #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs #bikesafe

— Martha Roskowski (@martharoskowski) June 13, 2018

.@ColoradoDOT says #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUS **

** “All of Us” excludes CDOT and its licensed professional engineers, as well as fellow AASHTO member DOTs, who purposely design deadly conditions for people who walk along DOT-managed streets. pic.twitter.com/YaVCLORUIX

— DK (@KostelecPlan) June 15, 2018

https://twitter.com/hayward_chuck/status/1007338107769745409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Such a teachable #SafetyStartsWithAllOfUs moment: substance-impaired driver crashes into 2nd story dentist office. Perhaps @ColoradoDOT could put your red-circle X graphic on this image? https://t.co/Atc6ZbJO6Q pic.twitter.com/ANbR3wfoyk

— StreetsblogLA (@StreetsblogLA) June 12, 2018

CDOT | traffic safety | traffic violence | vision zero

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