Connect with us

Education

La Crosse calls for caution on road, as it observes White Cane Day on Sunday

Published

on

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds (right) declares White Cane Safety Day during a City Hall event on Oct. 12, 2023 (PHOTO: Brad Williams)

During October, many cities observe what is called White Can Day, to promote pedestrian safety with special attention toward those who are sight-impaired.

Sunday in La Crosse will be that day.

Liz Fryseth stands with her guide dog while doing interviews at La Crosse City Hall on Oct. 12, 2023 (PHOTO: Brad Williams)

Rhonda Staats is a white-cane user, who has experienced cars coming close to her at intersections.

“One in three people approximately are not drivers in Wisconsin, so (for) the 31 per cent of us that don’t drive, pedestrian safety is very important,” Staats told reporters Thursday at a City Hall news conference, where Mayor Mitch Reynolds declared the special day.

Staats said 17 percent of people killed in traffic accidents around the country are pedestrians.

Another sight-impaired citizen, Liz Fryseth, asked drivers to be careful around pedestrians all year long.

“It’s year-round, and this is just a day to bring awareness and recognize that we all are pedestrians at the end of the day,” Fryseth said.

Drivers, who see pedestrians crossing a street while using a white cane or a guide dog, are urged to stop at least 10 feet away from that person.

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.

Continue Reading
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. R head

    October 13, 2023 at 9:20 am

    Mitch needs a white cane, he seems to have very poor vision for La Crosse,but we com spend large amounts of money on the homeless. Mitch is blind as a bat.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *