Casper installs marked crosswalk on South Poplar after parent reports child struck

Casper city staff installed a marked crosswalk and signage on South Poplar Street on Sept. 4 after a resident reported that her young son was struck by a vehicle while bicycling, staff told the council at the Oct. 28 work session.

City engineers described a short-term response and an ongoing evaluation process. "Generally, a marked crosswalk is maybe warranted at intersections with substantial conflict between vehicles and pedestrians and at mid-block locations with higher pedestrian volumes," Alex Speed, city engineer, told the council. He said the city combined traffic counts, accident data supplied in part by the Casper Police Department and corridor geometry when deciding immediate treatments.

Andrew Beamer, interim public services director, said the specific mid-corridor location on South Poplar between Wyoming Boulevard and 25th Street showed a higher frequency of accidents and lower east-west pedestrian connectivity to nearby Crest Hill and Southridge elementary schools. "We felt that the need to act and put in a crosswalk at that location," Beamer said, adding staff believed the marked crossing would improve visibility for both pedestrians and drivers.

Councilors asked clarifying questions about the accident records. Staff said most of the corridor data are vehicle-vehicle crash records and that the parent-reported crash may be the only pedestrian-vehicle collision recorded at that precise spot. Councilors also raised sightline concerns at the Granada/Poplar approaches; staff agreed to relay those observations to the Safe Routes to School consultant for inclusion in the corridor study.

The crosswalk installation is described by staff as an immediate safety measure. The city is currently updating its Safe Routes to School study; the Poplar corridor and at least one other recently reported location will be evaluated during that study, staff said. The resident who reported the crash has been informed that the crosswalk was installed and will be advised on the study—s outcome, staff added.

The city did not adopt new ordinances or make changes to school routes at the Oct. 28 meeting; staff said further changes would follow the formal Safe Routes to School evaluation and any consultant recommendations.

Provenance: topicintro — transcript block starting at 18:29 (presentation of resident concern and immediate crosswalk installation); topfinish — transcript block ending at 25:47 (council questions about data and sightlines).