USF holds first Bulls Walk and Bike Week

The USF Bulls Walk and Bike Week: Walk Wise, Bike Smart and Drive Carefully is a four-day initiative that will startthis week, starting with a kick-off event at 9 a.m. Monday in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Amphitheater. Following the kick-off is Walk with the Bulls, where students can join campus and area executives in an official walk around campus. On Thursday, the initiative will end with a bicycle celebration event at the MSC.

The campaign will feature three speakers USF President Judy Genshaft, Florida Department of Transportation District Seven Director Jim Moulton and Hillsborough Metropolitan Organization Executive Director Raymond Chiaramonte.

Florida is ranked No. 1 in pedestrian deaths per capita in 2010, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration facts report. That same year, there were 40 accidents involving people on foot and riding bicycles at the USF Tampa campus and its 1.5 mile radius of surrounding land, according to the report. The result was 47 injuries and one death.

In 2010, Hillsborough County was third in Florida for pedestrian and bicycle crashes, injuries and deaths, according to the same National Highway Traffic report.

Staff Report