DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Capital Improvements
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mike Frisbie, P.E.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT: Briefing on the School Safety Conditions Assessment
SUMMARY:
This briefing will provide City Council with an update on the Pedestrian Safety Improvement Initiative. Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI) initiated a citywide school zone assessment and signage update effort in October 2014 as part of the $1 million FY 2015 Pedestrian Safety Improvement Initiative. The $1 million initiative funded two staff members to focus on pedestrian safety within school zones as well as materials, equipment and installation of school zone signs, markings, and flashing beacons needed to address immediate school zone safety needs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Pedestrian safety, especially around schools, has always been a top priority for the City of San Antonio. To maximize the safety of the children arriving to and departing from school, certain types of traffic control devices within a school zone (signs, crosswalk markings and flashing beacons) assist in meeting pedestrian safety.
There currently are 1,043 reduced speed school zones serving over 480 public, private and charter schools Kindergarten through 12th grade within the San Antonio city limits. Of the 1,043 reduced speed school zones 513 school zones are equipped with flashing beacons and 530 school zones are without flashing beacons. TCI has continued to explore funding opportunities to provide flashing beacons to the 530 school zones without them.
To engage in the comprehensive verification of our traffic safety needs around schools, the $1 million FY 2015 Pedestrian Safety Improvement Initiative proposed the augmentation of current staff with the addition of one engineer and one engineering associate to create a school traffic safety team as well as the purchase of materials such as signs, markings, and flashing beacons to immediately address ...
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