LOS ANGELES (CNS) – With the 2024-25 school year underway, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Wednesday highlighted new safety measures aimed at bolstering road safety around LAUSD campuses.
During a news conference at Van Nuys Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley, Bass touted the success the city has had in adding hundreds of speed humps and hiring more crossing guards than in previous years. Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, LAUSD Board of Education member Scott Schmerelson and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho joined the mayor to commend the safety measures.
“Today, we are highlighting urgent action the city has taken in collaboration with LAUSD, including the installation of more than 250 speed humps near schools to slow down car traffic, and more than 500 crossing guards to make it safer for children and families to get to and from school,” Bass said in a statement. “This is all part of a comprehensive public safety strategy to make all of Los Angeles safer.”
According to the mayor’s office, city departments completed projects to make areas around some schools safer prior to the first day of school on Aug. 12, with the following work:
— Implemented “quick build” street safety projects at more than 180 intersections at more than 40 schools;
— Installed more than 250 speed humps near 92 schools where speeding is a known issue;
— Established “School Slow Zones” with 15 mph speed limits on more than 450 street segments around 190 schools;
— Expedited the hiring of crossing guards. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will deploy more than 500 crossing guards in the 2024-25 school year, which officials say will be the “widest deployment” of crossing guards in over a decade; and
— Signed an agreement with the district with the aim of ensuring safe passage for students traveling to and from schools.
“Ensuring our students make it safely to school is one of our most important responsibilities,” Schmerelson said in a statement. “We are committed to prioritizing making the path is safe — every step of the way.”
Additionally, Bass’ office also recognized the city’s Summer Night Lights program, which provides programming for youth and families in public spaces such as parks and recreation facilities to help reduce violence, among other things.
“We are deeply grateful to Mayor Bass and the city for their steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and community through the Summer Night Lights program and other traffic safety initiatives,” Carvalho said in a statement. “Together, we are making great strides in building a community that cherishes and protects its youth, ensuring they have the opportunities and support needed to succeed.”
The city of Los Angeles took action to bolster public safety around schools in response to pedestrian deaths and student injuries. Last year, a woman was struck and killed by a vehicle and her 6-year-old daughter was critically injured as they walked to school near Hancock Park Elementary.
Soon after, Carvalho also reported that a 14-year-old student at Berendo Middle School near downtown Los Angeles was struck by a vehicle.
LAUSD officials and residents of the city urged L.A. officials to take action to prevent further accidents around schools.
Council President Krekorian said efforts to address school safety were “personal.” He added, “From my first days on the council, I’ve had to comfort too many families whose children were injured or even killed by a driver hurtling through the intersection.”
“We’re adding speed humps, signal lights, curb extensions, but there’s one thing you can all do as members of the public to make our streets and school zones safer. Slow down! Put down the phone and pay attention, especially near our schools and senior centers,” Krekorian said in a statement.
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