Joining Forces for Safer Roads

We are very excited to announce our first annual event for Global Road Safety Week: Joining Forces for Safer Roads. 

How does the event work?

In this primarily virtual event, we are asking participants to run the width of our Commonwealth to help raise awareness of road safety. The event will take place May 15-22, 2022 during Global Road Safety Week. It will start in Lenox on May 15th and end at the Marathon Finish Line in Boston on May 22nd. 

Most of the relay legs are 5 miles long and participants can run, walk, bike, or roll their leg that they have selected. The number of people completing each leg is unlimited and we set a goal of raising $500 for each leg for a total of $16,500. 

Where and when is the event?

The first leg will kick off on May 15th at 10am in Lenox, MA and the last leg will be on May 22nd with a ceremony at the finish line in Boston. The legs in between will be mapped and tracked but participants will be able to complete them at the leisure virtually during that week. 

For a few sections of the route, we are recommending that people opt to do a virtual run/walk/bike due to the safety of the roads in some areas. We tried to create a route that would have sidewalks or wide shoulders and a low speed limit, but in some parts of the state, this was not possible. We highlighted over nearly two dozen virtual options around MA that are on bike paths or rail trails and these can easily substitute for a leg along the route where we recommend a virtual option. Massachusetts has many beautiful, connected off-road paths that we want more people to know about, so check these out too when you are selecting your leg. Just make sure to log your finish so we can see if we successfully relayed across our Commonwealth!

Where do the funds go?

SRA Programs: 50% of funds will go to Safe Roads Alliance to fund one of our current programs: Kids Speaking Up for Road Safety

Micro-Grants: We hope to engage more local MA communities in small yet effective traffic calming measures. So 50% of funds will go to micro-grants that any MA municipality can apply for through the America Walks Community Change Grants Program. These micro-grants can fund small traffic calming measures. Examples include painting crosswalks, neighbor ways, tactical urbanism measures, speed bumps, pedestrian crossing signs, or the money can go towards a larger project already underway.

How do I join?

Sign up under Event Info and select a leg (or more) along the route.  You can also choose to do a virtual option along a bike path or rail trail or in your own area, and then form a fundraising team with your friends, family, or co-workers! 

T-shirts for the event can be purchased here. We even have a tie-dye option!

Contact Us:

Jillian Kaplan: jillian@saferoadsalliance.org 

Emily Stein: emily@saferoadsalliance.org