Parents urge faster pedestrian-safety fixes after child killed on Leawood streets

Several Leawood residents told the City Council on Nov. 3 that short-term street changes are needed now — not years from now — to prevent more injuries and deaths.

“I am here as a parent and neighbor who deeply cares about the safety of our community,” said Emma Herwig, who described near-misses at the crosswalk at 80 Third and Mission where her family crosses with a crossing guard. “We need quick, realistic changes to slow traffic down and to make our sidewalks and crossings safer.”

Why it matters: Multiple speakers described children and families who walk and bike to Corinth Elementary and other neighborhood destinations; some recounted crashes or close calls. Monica Omert, who identified herself as the mother of a child killed in a crosswalk on Oct. 13, asked the council to commission a formal city analysis of pedestrian-crash patterns north of 435 and to prioritize safety improvements in older neighborhoods that have narrow sidewalks and morning sun glare.

What residents asked for: Speakers sought a mix of near-term, low-cost measures (stronger signage, flashing beacons, pavement markings, pedestrian countdown signals and reconsideration of school speed-zone limits) and longer-term design changes (protected bike lanes, physical separators, pilot speed-reduction devices and expanded bike-safety education in schools). Several parents said rapid-flash beacons alone are insufficient and urged designs that “forgive human error.”

First-person accounts: Carrie Doody described an Oct. morning when her 8-year-old son momentarily lost control of his bike and was struck by a pickup; she said the driver swerved, possibly averting a worse outcome. “It was about 07:40 a.m. The rising sun was in the eyes of eastbound drivers…an 8-year-old losing control for 1 second is completely normal. What should not be normal is that a wobble puts them directly into traffic,” Doody said. Monica Omert recounted the Oct. 13 collision that killed her son and urged the council to act, saying, “We have to prioritize the safety of our children.”

Council response: Mayor Mark E. Elkins and council liaisons acknowledged the grief and urged continued work by the city’s Bike Walk Committee and the city engineer. The mayor said staff will continue to review engineering projects and committee recommendations; no formal council action creating the requested crash-analysis study occurred at the Nov. 3 meeting.

Context and data cited in testimony: Speakers said Leawood has had 14 pedestrian crashes in the past five years and that the number rose significantly in the most recent year, a trend they called “predictable and preventable.” Parents pointed to specific problem locations cited repeatedly in testimony, including 80 Third at Winonga, 80 Third and Mission, and 80 Third at Lee Boulevard.

What’s next: Council members said they would continue to work with the Bike Walk Committee. Later in the meeting the council unanimously voted to make the Bike Walk Committee a standing committee reporting to the council, which supporters said will concentrate attention and speed recommendations back to staff and the governing body.

The council did not vote on specific new engineering measures Nov. 3; speakers and council members asked staff and the Bike Walk Committee to continue evaluating both short-term countermeasures and longer-term design changes.