Slow Down in K-Town

Neighborhood Coordinator

Debbie Sharp
[email protected]
(865) 215-3232

400 Main St., Room 546
Knoxville, TN 37902

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SAVE LIVES WITH 25
Mayor speaking on Save Lives with 25 Save Lives with 25 In December 2021, City Council voted to reduce the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour on any street where a specific speed limit is not posted. This change will go in effect on July 1, 2022.



Slow Down in K-Town If you are fed up with speeding in your neighborhood and are prepared to take action, then you have come to the right place.

Welcome to Slow Down in K-Town - a neighborhood-focused education program that can be led and implemented by each individual neighborhood.

With support from the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, this program equips you with bumper stickers, yard signs, and an Anti-Speeding Campaign Guide crammed with ideas, traffic safety information, and step-by-step suggestions for engaging speedy neighbors and cut-through drivers.

The Anti-Speeding Campaign Guide is linked below and the Appendices section contains tools to help with your campaign.

If you would like one of these sloth "Slow Down in K-Town" signs (to the right) for your neighborhood, you could be eligible for for up to six free signs.  You need to be participating in the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program either by having an active application turned in for traffic calming devices or by reaching out to the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment to participate in the educational portion.  If your neighborhood is or the neighbors on your street are interested in these, fill out the application and return it to Hayley Howard at [email protected].  


ANTI-SPEEDING CAMPAIGN GUIDE




INTRODUCTION

This is a How-To Guide for conducting an Anti-Speeding Education and Public Relations Campaign (“Anti-Speeding Campaign” or “Campaign”) to reduce speeding in your residential neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee. 
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GETTING STARTED

It may seem like a huge task to take on just one of the projects in this Guide, but even a handful of people can accomplish a great deal. Here is one approach to getting underway.
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ENGAGING YOUR NEIGHBORS

The success of an effective anti-speeding education campaign will depend in large part on the extent to which you are able to enlist the support of your neighbors. 
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CAMPAIGN TOOLBOX

In this section, we cover the various tools you can deploy in your Anti-Speeding Campaign. Use what makes sense to you. Add your own tools. Think about the order you will implement these tools and ideas, so that you can build from one event or action to the next.
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CONCLUSION

This Guide offers ideas and resources for a neighborhood-focused, neighborhood-run Anti-Speeding Education and Public Relations Campaign. 
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APPENDICES




Use these resources to plan and carry out your Anti-Speeding Campaign. Included here are fact sheets, infographics, community organizing templates, detailed how-to guides, and much more. 

Appendix A. Community Organizing Tools
Utilize these tip sheets and forms to help with door-to-door outreach, neighborhood meetings, and other organizing tasks.
View Appendix A [PDF]

Appendix B. Sample Fliers and Newsletters
This section contains tips on creating fliers and newsletters, along with several sample hand-outs that can be used by groups wishing to launch an Anti-Speeding Campaign. 
View Appendix B [PDF]

Appendix C. Speakers for Neighborhood Meetings
A speaker can help you introduce the subject of speeding — and traffic safety in general — to your neighbors before you launch an Anti-Speeding Campaign. An occasional speaker can also keep the issue alive during and after you conduct your Campaign.
View Appendix C [PDF]

Appendix D. Fact Sheets and Infographics
Materials about speeding and traffic safety that your organizing team can distribute to your neighbors and others as needed.
View Appendix D [PDF]

Appendix E. Anti-Speeding Briefs
Cut and paste these blurbs into your posts on social media or use them in printed materials. These quick facts can be intended for your neighbors initially but also for anyone else in Knoxville. Let’s create a culture that makes safety cool.
View Appendix E [PDF]

Appendix F. Neighborhood Traffic Safety Survey
A survey about speeding distributed to and filled out by your neighbors can: focus attention on the issue of speeding and help you design an anti-speeding education program tailored to the needs of your neighborhood.
View Appendix F [PDF]

Appendix G. Pledge to Drive 25
Out of concern for the safety of children, pedestrians, bicyclists, pets, and other motorists, as well as myself, take the pledge to drive 25.
View Appendix G [PDF]

Appendix H. Yard Signs
Yard signs are a key tool for any anti-speeding program. They alert drivers to the fact that they have entered a residential area, remind drivers to slow down, tell drivers that neighbors care about their street, and signal that neighbors (perhaps many neighbors) are watching the street.
View Appendix H [PDF]

Appendix I. Planting the Right Trees in the Right Places
Follow these guidelines to make sure that your tree-planting efforts will have lasting value, not only for calming traffic but also for beautifying your street.
View Appendix I [PDF]

Appendix J. Anti-Speeding Resources
Links to a wealth of additional resources for your Anti-Speeding Campaign.
View Appendix J [PDF]



Speeding is not just a problem to be solved.
It is an opportunity to bring neighbors together
to forge a more livable community.