Drive Friendly: A Community Approach to Safer Streets

Drive Friendly is a community-led safety campaign focused on reducing speeding and promoting respectful, responsible driving in our neighborhoods.

Rather than relying solely on enforcement, Drive Friendly encourages neighbor-to-neighbor engagement, positive messaging, and shared responsibility to create safer streets for everyone -drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.

This campaign is being piloted in Manchester from May - October 2025.

About the Drive Friendly Campaign

Community Engagement

Manchester is known for its strong sense of community and active local organizations. This level of engagement provides an ideal foundation for a grassroots-driven campaign like Drive Friendly, which relies on resident participation and community pride.

Local Support & Partnerships

The enthusiasm from local leaders, groups like the Manchester Citizens Advisory Committee (MCAC), and the potential for collaboration with agencies like Kitsap Transit make Manchester a natural choice. The willingness to work together to improve safety ensures a higher chance of success.

Walkability and Neighborhood Layout

Manchester’s mix of residential streets, pedestrian areas, and proximity to schools, transit, and businesses makes it an ideal setting to promote safe driving behavior. It's a place where small changes in driver awareness can have a big impact.

Traffic Concerns from Residents

Feedback from residents has highlighted concerns about speeding, pedestrian safety, and driver courtesy.

Identify Road Safety Needs

This campaign has early roots dating back to 2018. The Kitsap County Department of Community Development launched a pilot community engagement project to learn about community priorities, shared values and common concerns. Pedestrian and cyclist safety was identified as a top concern.

In August 2023, the Manchester Community Advisory Council (MCAC) Transportation and Safety Committee began meeting with Kitsap County Public Works and the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office to identify specific road safety concerns and brainstorm improvements.

These discussions led to the creation of the 2025 Community Road Safety Survey. Nearly 150 residents responded, confirming that safety, walkability, and traffic calming remain top priorities—just as they were in the 2019 engagement process.

The Drive Friendly pilot campaign is one of several initiatives emerging from this deep community dialogue. The lessons learned through the pilot will help shape a toolkit for other neighborhoods across Kitsap County to launch similar efforts tailored to their own unique needs.

Campaign Tools

During the campaign pilot, Manchester residents will see:

Six roadside signs in high-visibility areas

Pamphlets and flyers

Materials highlighting the dangers of speeding and the importance of safe driving will be distributed. Ongoing information and materials from the county and our partners will be shared throughout the campaign.

Social Media Campaign
The MCAC Communications Committee and Kitsap County will share campaign content through community Facebook groups, official webpages, and digital outreach. We encourage residents who are "Being Safe, Being Seen, and Driving Friendly" to showcase your efforts with fun posts and videos.
Yard Signs

Residents will be provided with campaign yard signs to place in their yards or near high-traffic zones as friendly reminders to slow down. The message is #WeDriveFriendlyinManchester.

We encourage residents to:

Attend the May 6 Manchester Open House to get a yard sign
Revisit and strengthen Neighborhood Watch Programs
Explore disaster management readiness
Be proactive in looking out for each other
The lessons learned will help develop a "Drive Friendly" Toolkit—a resource for other neighborhoods interested in launching their own campaigns in the future.

Together, we can build safer friendlier streets across Kitsap County

Want to get involved or learn how to bring Drive Friendly to your neighborhood?

Contact: Anne Williams at awilliams@kitsap.gov