A new initiative has just been launched in Marion. In an effort to increase pedestrian safety, free “hi-viz” (high-visibility) vests are now available, with proof of Marion residency. Being dispersed from the Marion Town Hall Annex, 14 Barnabas Road, the vests are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can get the vests from the building’s greeters from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The event is sponsored by the Marion Board of Health. Vice-Chair Edward P. Hoffer, MD, told The Wanderer the program has begun, and residents can now come, at times cited, to pick up their vests. Hoffer said the town ordered about 100 adult vests and 50 child-sized at the current time. He mentioned that, since they were ordered from Amazon, if more are needed, it’s easy to order more.
He said this “grew out of an experience I had a couple weeks ago. It was around 7:00 pm; I almost hit someone with dark clothing walking a dark dog.” To increase public safety and their visibility, the “cart full of vests” is currently at the Annex. Hoffer added, when referring to dark clothing, “you may be visible inside, in the light, but you’re not visible outside.” As anyone who has driven around town at night, that’s fairly self-evident, especially with Tabor Academy students out and about.
So far, only a couple of people have reached out to pick up vests, but the Board of Health and Town Hall Annex are ready to go, and excited to see how the initiative performs.
Marion: Be Seen, Be Safe
By Sam Bishop