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City and consultants present Safe Routes to School study; crossings, enforcement and funding prioritized
Summary
Consultants and city staff presented a draft Safe Routes to School study funded via ADOT and the Sun Corridor MPO; recommendations include signalized or beaconed crosswalks, traffic calming, crossing‑guard training and pursuing Transportation Alternatives grant funding; the MPO will consider final adoption in March.
City of Casa Grande public works staff and consultant teams presented a draft Safe Routes to School study to the Casa Grande Elementary School District board on Monday and asked the board to support pursuing federal transportation funding to implement prioritized crossing and sidewalk projects.
Natalie Stevens of the city said the study was funded through an ADOT Transportation Alternatives grant administered by the Sun Corridor MPO and that the draft report covers public outreach, walk audits and a menu of infrastructure and programmatic recommendations. Consultant speakers described findings from observations and public survey responses: drivers speeding near schools, failure to yield at crosswalks, and instances in which parents or caregivers encouraged students to cross away from marked crosswalks.
The consultant team recommended a range of measures tailored to each campus: stronger signalized crossings or Rapid Flashing Beacons/Hawk beacons at major streets, filling sidewalk gaps, protected bicycle lanes where feasible, traffic calming features such as raised crosswalks (speed tables), and improving shade. They also recommended programmatic steps the district and city can implement more quickly, such as crossing‑guard training, tip sheets, and social‑media campaigns reminding drivers to stop for crossing guards.
Jason Botchan of the Sun Corridor MPO told trustees the study is in draft and expected to be adopted by the MPO in March; he said the MPO and city will post the final study on their websites and can provide copies to district staff. Consultants emphasized the goal of applying for Transportation Alternatives funding to build prioritized safety projects.
Board members asked technical and enforcement questions including whether flashing stop paddles, flashing signs for crossing guards, speed cameras or additional police enforcement could be used. Consultants and city staff said some enforcement is already rotated and that crossing‑guard training and flashing equipment for guards were recommended; they deferred legal‑enforcement specifics to police but said signalized crossings and rapid‑flashing beacons were high priorities in the recommendations.
The consultants asked the board to consider providing a letter of support for grant applications as next steps once the study is finalized and adopted by the MPO.
The item was presented for information and discussion; the board did not vote on project funding during the meeting.
