Grand Junction Police Department and Colorado Mesa University vigilant about pedestrian safety

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -

“In 2020 the Grand Junction Police Department responded to 60 accidents that involved either a bicyclist or a pedestrian,” says GJPD Public Information Coordinator Callie Berkson.

From texting and walking, to not using designated crosswalks, there are a lot of ways to become distracted on Grand Junction streets.

“So we have a very active and outdoor community here in the Grand Valley, it is extremely common for us to see bicyclist and pedestrians out all year long, but especially when the weather is nice,” says Berkson.

In 2019 officers responded to approximately 80 calls for pedestrian and bicycle crashes in the city.

Grand Junction police say because 2020 was such a unique year, it is unclear what the trend is right now.

“We have a lot of bicyclists on the road, and actually, bicyclists seem to be a more common incident that the Grand Junction Police Department answers to, over pedestrians,” explains Berkson.

With young adults walking in and around the college campus, CMU is a predominate area officers get called to for these type of calls.

“We often see accidents happen around the college, so make sure that especially around the college, you’re paying attention to pedestrians and bikers,” says Berkson.

Some things you can do to keep safe include using crosswalk buttons and walking against traffic if you’re in an area with no sidewalk.

“We, in fact, have a group of students who are working on a promotional video that they’re going to be sharing on social media and on the internet and amongst themselves, that talk in a light kind of fun way how they can get better at being safe and take responsibility for that,” says director of public relations for CMU, David Ludlum.

Copyright 2021 KKCO. All rights reserved.