Creating a Safer Community

Home sweet home. It’s great returning to the warmth and comfort of your home after a stressful day at work. Even better is living in a clean neighborhood full of friendly neighbors. A nice neighborhood gives you peace of mind, assuaging any fears when you go to bed each night. For kids, a safe neighborhood makes for a good environment to play and thrive.

While not every neighborhood is completely safe, there are some steps you can take to ensure the community’s safety.

Traffic Signs

While it might seem like an insignificant step, putting up proper traffic road signs is an effective, affordable way to keep pedestrians and drivers in the know at all times.

Regulatory signs keep drivers in check. The most important of these are speed limit signs. Speeding in residential areas is careless and could lead to property damage, injury, and potentially death. Tow away zones also inform drivers not to park in certain areas, while simultaneously ensuring open, vacant streets.

Warning signs are also important, especially if your neighborhood has lots of kids. Warning signs should keep drivers informed of any pedestrians or children at play. If there’s a predominant biking community in your neighborhood, warning signs will make sure drivers practice proper vigilance and traffic rules regarding bikes.

Cleanliness

Keeping your community clean is beneficial in several ways. First, picking up trash makes for a much safer environment for children and pedestrians. Trash can attract disease-carrying pests or lead to bacterial molds. Moreover, studies show that criminals are less likely to commit crimes in neighborhoods that look cared for. Criminals see a clean neighborhood that is clearly cared-for and assume it is being diligently watched. Having a regular trash pick-up program will make for a healthy community and a cleaner environment in general.

Changing the way your neighborhood looks is a big part of keeping it safe. Remove or paint over graffiti. Organize a group to clean up the neighborhood regularly.

There are numerous things you can do on your own as well. Make sure your front yard and lawn are well cared for. Cut your grass and rake up any leaves. Trim your tree, keeping the branches up high. Trim hedges and bushes back from sidewalks to make for safer walking after dark. Even planting flowers and trees around your neighborhood will make it look that much cleaner. Team up with the rest of your community to create a safe, thriving living environment.