Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Springfield committee debates raised crosswalks and speed humps near schools amid safety, cost and plow concerns
Summary
At an April 2 committee meeting, council members, DPW staff and WalkBike Springfield advocates discussed prioritizing raised crosswalks and speed tables near schools after recent pedestrian tragedies, weighing safety benefits against costs, plow-contractor impacts and emergency vehicle access.
Springfield City’s Maintenance & Development Committee heard hours of public comment and technical caution on April 2 as council members, Department of Public Works officials and neighborhood advocates discussed whether to expand raised crosswalks and speed humps in school zones.
The meeting was convened by city councilor Lavar Click, who said he had met with WalkBike Springfield volunteer Betsy Johnson and called the session to explore whether the city should pursue a policy or ordinance to require raised crosswalks around schools. "She brought this to my attention where she wanted to bring some awareness regarding some speed humps and raised crosswalks," Click said, noting the goal was to get the school department and DPW in the same conversation.
Advocates urged quick action. Betsy Johnson of WalkBike Springfield said the city should "when you work on those streets at all you need to put in a raised crosswalk for the schools," and asked the council to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
