Wello’s ‘Frogger’ crosswalk events remind all to yield to your neighbors on foot and on bikes

The start of another school year is just around the corner. Whether or not parents are excited to see their children head back to the classroom is debatable, but we can all easily agree that we want our children to safely get to school regardless if you’re driving them, they are walking, or riding their bikes. Wello’s Yield to Your Neighbor campaign aims to raise awareness around bicycle and pedestrian safety to make it safer for children going to school, and for all residents in Brown County that are driving, walking, biking, and rolling throughout our community. 

Crosswalk Education and Enforcement or “Frogger” events are a great way the community can take action to help make that a reality. And luckily for us, our next “Frogger” event takes place just in time for the start of the school year on Tuesday, August 30th. 

“Frogger” events raise awareness and educate the community on the state law that drivers must yield to pedestrians when people are in a crosswalk. The Motor Vehicle Code that corresponds to this effort is Ch. 346.24(1), which states: “At an intersection or crosswalk where traffic is not controlled by traffic control signals or by a traffic officer, the operator of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian or personal delivery device, or to a person riding a bicycle or electric personal assistive mobility device in a manner which is consistent with the safe use of the crosswalk by pedestrians, that is crossing the highway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk.” 

Wello partners with local law enforcement to make this initiative possible. Those departments include Ashwaubenon Public Safety, Brown County Sheriff's Office, De Pere Police Department, Green Bay Police Department, and Village of Pulaski Police Department. We thank them for their commitment to making it easier and safer for all to move throughout our community! Our first “Frogger” in June saw participation in 9 municipalities resulting in 149 warnings issued to drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians with 398 vehicles yielding properly. 

As with all past and future Crosswalk Education and Enforcement events, these events are about educating our community and not an excuse to issue tickets. That is why all locations are publicly shared prior to the event and at www.wello.org. So be sure to follow us on social media to see these details published as we get closer to August 30th.

In addition to Frogger efforts, the Yield to Your Neighbor campaign also includes additional educational materials made possible through a grant from Schneider. Their support has allowed us to purchase Yield to Your Neighbor yard signs that will start popping up throughout our community as well as additional billboards. If you would like a Yield to Your Neighbor yard sign for your home or place of work, email us at hello@wello.org to schedule a pick-up time.

The final “Frogger” event will take place on October 5th which coincides with International Walk to School Day as well as Pedestrian Safety Month. Remember, Yield to Your Neighbor because it’s safer, it’s courteous, and it’s the law. 

This story ran as our August Green Bay Press-Gazette column.