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 any immediate traffic safety needs.
ISSUE:
Since the start of FY 2015, TCI has accomplished the following as part of the $1 million FY 2015 Pedestrian Safety Improvement Initiative.
· Hired one engineer and one engineering associate to form the school traffic safety team in February 2015.
· Identified four existing reduced speed school zone locations for upgrade from static signs to flashing beacon installations. The equipment has been received, the designs have been completed and the construction task orders have been issued.
· Finalized an annual contract to procure ready-to-install signs in January 2015. The first sign purchase order has been received and is being used. Prior to the annual contact, signs were being manufactured by in-house crews using in stock material to avoid delaying the start of the school zone sign upgrade effort. The material to replace the stock material has been ordered.
· City Council awarded a task order contract for pavement markings in December, 2014. This contract will be used to support the maintenance of school zone crosswalks.
· Developed a complete listing of existing schools, school zones and school crosswalks.
· Upgraded signs at 206 of the citywide 1,043 school zones to the most current standards.
· Provided comprehensive maintenance of 147 of the citywide 513 school zones equipped with flashing beacons which includes the following.
- upgrading/replacing LEDs
- installing rear facing beacon
- testing/replacing and right sizing solar panels
- testing/replacing batteries
- replacement of miscellaneous items as needed
· Identified school crosswalks to be remarked prior to the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year between June through August 14, 2015.
- 435 school crosswalks are being re-marked with high contrast markings as part of the FY2015 IMP
- An additional 200 school crosswalks will be refreshed through the Pedestrian Safety Improvements at Schools initiative.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a briefing for informational purposes only.