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Selma prepares Safe Routes to School applications; council, staff and residents map priority crossings
Summary
Staff briefed council on draft Fresno COG guidelines for rural city Safe Routes to School grants (Measure C funds); council signaled intent to apply and residents urged traffic calming at specific school crossings where past collisions occurred.
City staff told the Selma City Council on June 3 that Fresno Council of Governments expects to open a one-time call for Safe Routes to School applications using unused Measure C funds, with a summer application timetable and no local match required under the draft guidelines. Staff and council outlined candidate projects—crosswalk upgrades, curb ramps, flashing beacons and traffic-calming measures—near school sites and asked the public to help prioritize locations where students walk or bike.
Staff said draft guidelines are expected to be finalized by Fresno COG with a formal call in July and application deadlines likely in September. The draft prioritizes pedestrian and bicycle visibility, project readiness, proximity to schools and crash data. Staff overlaid the city’s local road safety plan with school locations and sidewalk gaps to identify candidate corridors and intersections; possible projects were labeled A–F in staff exhibits for further prioritization.
Councilmembers and residents highlighted problem locations. Mayor Robertson and others emphasized the need to address intersections where serious collisions occurred, and several speakers suggested “speed mats” (modern speed‑reducing devices) and flashing crosswalk beacons as likely competitive project components. Resident Anita Gonzalez recounted her granddaughter’s severe injury after a collision near the high school and urged the council to pursue traffic-calming projects vigorously.
Staff said the program’s scoring will place significant weight on documented crash history and proximity to school routes; that change was discussed at the COG meeting and will favor high‑need sites. The council asked staff to coordinate community and school surveys, reach out to Selma Unified School District and finalize preferred project lists so staff can prepare competitive applications when the formal call is issued.
No final projects were chosen at the June 3 meeting; council provided direction to staff to develop applications focused on safety improvements near high‑need crossings and to return with recommended project packages.
