City installs hundreds of road safety measures near LAUSD schools
Traffic safety measures installed near LA schools
As kids across Los Angeles are heading back to school, city leaders have stressed the importance of new traffic safety measures installed near campuses. The city has installed hundreds of speed humps and hired hundreds of crossing guards near LAUSD schools.
LOS ANGELES - Standing in front of Van Nuys Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a series of new road safety measures aimed at protecting students around LAUSD schools.
"All of us must work together to keep our children and our neighborhoods safe," Mayor Bass stated, emphasizing the community's role in ensuring student safety.
The new measures include the installation of over 250 speed humps near 92 schools, the deployment of 500 crossing guards for the 2024-25 school year, and the introduction of new "School Slow Zone" signs enforcing 15-mile-per-hour speed limits. City officials assert these steps are critical in reducing the risks students face on their way to and from school.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of four and 14 — a statistic that city leaders find both tragic and unacceptable. LA City Council President Paul Krekorian shared a personal account of a tragic incident that occurred shortly after he was elected to the council. "A young girl was killed in an intersection walking to her elementary school, and her sister was paralyzed by somebody who was hurtling through that intersection as they crossed in a crosswalk," he said.
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Local residents, like Daniel Meza of Van Nuys, believe these new safety measures will have a positive impact.
"I think it's a good way to slow them down," Meza said. "People care more about their things than other people sometimes, so they’re not going to want to go really quick into that speed bump."
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stressed the importance of these measures, saying,
"There is no greater priority for us than the protection and safety of our children and their families."
While the added infrastructure such as street humps and crossing guards are vital, Council President Krekorian emphasized that the most crucial factor in ensuring student safety is responsible driving.
"Just slow down, pay attention," Krekorian said. "Get off your phones. Pay attention."