Safe Routes for Children initiative

A transportation professional urged passage of the ordinance as submitted, saying council has already done the hard policy work and should fund what its plans call for before putting children on risky routes.

A pediatrician and lead petitioner said 1,421 neighbors signed in four days because the school board never checked whether new routes are safe; daily high-risk crossings would jump from 713 to 844 in August 2027.

A Hayes Elementary parent described a crossing guard who fears for her life near the freeway on-ramp and a son nearly hit at an unguarded crossing; police issued 28 tickets in four weeks at the two intersections.

Presented 33 hours of intersection audits: at Hilliard and Elmwood, 64 red-light runs and 96 drivers using the bike lane to bypass traffic, plus two recent crashes including a pedestrian fatality at 117th and Lake.