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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
March 2001
As chairman of the Phoenix City Council Family and Education Subcommittee, my main priority is school safety. This includes keeping kids safe during the school day as well as on their way to and from school.
About a year ago, the city formed the School Safety Task Force that examined ways to improve traffic safety near schools. The task force was comprised of representatives from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, schools and the city.
The city will implement the following safety measures:
- Paint SCHOOL pavement stencils on each high-speed approach to a school crossing.
- Create wider paved student waiting areas at major school crossings.
- Paint "stand back" lines to show children where to stand while waiting to cross the street.
- Use photo speed enforcement in school zones.
- Utilize zero tolerance speed enforcement at 15-mph school zones.
- Change pedestrian signals from the standard WALK/DON'T WALK word message to the international symbols.
- Use automated technology to issue run-red citations at traffic signals.
- Discourage schools from being built on major streets.
- Build buffers and/or wider sidewalks along new schools.
The city also will continue to work closely with schools to implement plans including:
- Use two adult crossing guards at wide streets.
- Have crossing guards wear brighter fluorescent vests, or vests with more reflective materials, as well as other uniform pieces.
- Require crossing guards to attend the annual crossing guard training, and monitor and evaluate crossing guard procedures.
- Develop "Safe Route to School" plans for parents and students.
- Provide busing for elementary students who cross major streets.
- Conduct more in-school safety training for students.
- Use major streets as school attendance or busing boundaries.
Our children must be safe on their way to and from school each day, and I am committed to continuing to work to improve traffic safety near our schools. For more information on this or other issues, please call my office at (602) 262-7491 or e-mail me at gstanton@ci.phoenix.az.us.
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