TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with City Attorney to report back regarding the feasibility, opportunities, and constraints both legal and practical to limiting median access near major intersections to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers, including in this report how other jurisdictions manage this traffic safety concern.
DISCUSSION
Community members have expressed their serious concerns with solicitation activity occurring in medians at heavily trafficked intersections. This concern goes well beyond just solicitation but includes the need for greater pedestrian safety at locations that create pressing dangers. Pedestrian safety is a growing concern citywide as the County and State have both recently seen increases in traffic accidents and fatalities.
With safety as the specific focus; solicitation, loitering, walking, or standing in medians is dangerous, and this danger is only heightened in heavily trafficked, multi-lane intersections when medians are not designed, intended, or safe for pedestrian access. People in medians presents an especially dangerous situation for themselves, as well as the drivers who must direct their attention away from the roadway and often slow, stop, and rapidly change lanes to avoid a person in the median.
As the city continues to seek greater improvements to pedestrian and traffic safety, additional focus to finding ways to reduce the danger presented by pedestrian access to medians at intersections with high traffic volume or histories of frequent traffic collisions would be helpful in addressing these ongoing concerns.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the general fund for the preparation of this report as this research is anticipated to be completed by existing city staff resources.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUZIE PRICE
COUNCILWOMAN, THIRD DISTRICT
DARYL SUPERNAW
COUNCILMEMBER, FOURTH DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA
COUNCILMEMBER, SEVENTH DI...
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