Richmond Pedestrians on Universityhouse Channel March 27

Pedestrians in Richmond, Virginia, will be featured on Episode 103 of "Perils For Pedestrians" on Tuesday, March 27. "Perils For Pedestrians" is carried on The Universityhouse Channel (DISH Network 9411) every Tuesday at 9:30 PM Eastern Time, 6:30 PM Pacific Time.

Episode 103 leads off with host John Z Wetmore interviewing a blind pedestrian in Richmond. It is easier for her to live in the city than in the suburbs, where the lack of sidewalks made it impossible for her to make even short trips on her own. Nevertheless, she still faces significant challenges. The brick or concrete is often in poor condition. Construction zones are a hazard and seldom provide any information on a suitable detour. Traffic signal boxes protrude over the sidewalk, and are painful to walk into. Stray dogs are dangerous.

Crossing the street is also a challenge. Parked cars block crosswalks. Drivers ignore white canes. She has even had a car turning right on red knock her cane out of her hands and drive on, leaving her crawling in the street to try to find the cane.

The second interview is with a wheelchair user discussing "universal design". Universal design is the principle that you design buildings and infrastructure that can be used by everyone, not just average adults in good health. Universal design helps not just those in wheelchairs, but also children and the elderly, among others. She also talks about the role of Centers For Independent Living in assisting people with disabilities live outside institutions. Transportation is usually a key issue.

The program then looks at AARP, and its Active For Life project. Active For Life worked to encourage senior citizens to engage in physical activity like walking. It consisted of both a communications and marketing component, and a changes in the community component.

AARP has been working jointly with SafeKids on pedestrian safety for children. Safekids has a Walk This Way program to encourage walking to school. They have also had a Photo Journey project, where children take photographs of their walk to school. The photos reveal what the children experience as seen through their own eyes

This is the second time "Perils For Pedestrians" has been in Richmond. The first time was on Episode 38, when Wetmore visited a traffic safety festival in an inner city neighborhood.

"Perils For Pedestrians" is a public affairs television series that looks at problems confronting pedestrians in their communities, and solutions to those problems from across the United States, and around the world. John Z Wetmore, host of the series, has interviewed advocates, engineers, planners, and public officials in all 50 states and in 9 foreign countries. In addition to The Universityhouse Channel on satellite, "Perils For Pedestrians" appears on over 100 public access cable channels. Episode 103 can also be seen on Google Video at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-47182498017539885