Chipman Junior High students present 'Safer Streets' plan; council members back referral to expand youth policy work

Chipman Junior High students on Oct. 8 presented a coordinated ‘Safer Streets’ plan to the Bakersfield City Council, proposing lane-narrowing, road diets on collector streets, relocated curbside parking near parks, new crosswalks and an education program aimed at reducing crashes near the school.

“Good evening, mayor and council members. We are students from Chipman Junior High here to present our project, reimagining safer streets around our school,” student Kylia Webb said. The students said parents surveyed in the neighborhood named safety as the main reason they drive their children rather than allow walking or bicycling.

The students urged changes on local streets that currently have travel lanes “over 20 feet wide, when only 12 feet is needed,” and recommended narrowing lanes and converting four‑lane collectors to two lanes with a five‑mile‑per‑hour reduction on speed limits to create low‑stress bike and multimodal streets. Juan Moreno summarized the survey findings and the students’ recommendations, and Layton Powell tied the proposals to state and federal funding rules, saying the recommended countermeasures align with the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and the Active Transportation Program (ATP). Powell said the students estimated project costs of about $1,300,000 and noted that, “this year alone, between the state ATP and HSIP, there's nearly $800,000,000 available for projects like ours.”

Students also proposed a public service announcement and offered to donate a bike‑repair station to the city for installation at University Park and asked the county to install informational kiosks about local history at Panorama Park.

Councilmembers uniformly praised the presentation. Council member Gonzales said, “First and foremost, great job, Chipman,” and Council member Smith noted the value of community input for grant applications. Elected officials asked clarifying questions about the survey methodology and community acceptance of lane reductions; student Ethan Robles said a majority of surveyed parents supported the measures despite some reservations.

A council member proposed a referral that the Chipman Junior High School Public Policy Institute be formalized under the City of Bakersfield and partner with the Bakersfield Youth Commission to replicate the students’ work at prioritized school zones. Councilmembers asked staff to follow up with the students and to consider the students’ educational recommendations as part of multimodal and Safe Routes planning.

No formal vote on project funding was taken during the meeting. City staff and councilmembers encouraged continued engagement and offered to explore grant opportunities identified by the students.

The presentation included a short PSA produced by students aimed at reducing phone distraction for pedestrians and cyclists.

The council’s referral request and staff follow‑up were recorded as direction to staff; next steps will depend on formal referral language and any later council motion or appropriation.