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Council bans solicitation at selected high‑risk intersections to reduce traffic and pedestrian hazards
Summary
Council adopted a narrowly targeted code change prohibiting solicitation within 100 feet of specified high‑risk intersections and certain medians to reduce danger to solicitors and drivers; staff said the change provides an enforcement tool beyond private‑property trespass.
Council adopted a narrowly focused change to the municipal code to prohibit solicitation at a short list of high‑traffic or high‑speed intersections, including certain roundabouts and approaches such as the Walmart light and a West Midland/Meadows area. The amendment also bars solicitation on narrow medians that lack safe pedestrian refuge.
City staff said the targeted list is smaller than an earlier, broader proposal and is designed to reduce immediate safety risks where traffic speeds and turning conflicts make solicitation dangerous for both drivers and people on the curb. The code change gives police an explicit local enforcement tool in addition to private‑property trespass options.
Council discussed constitutional (First Amendment) limits and the need to monitor whether prohibited solicitation simply moves to other sidewalks or medians; several members asked that police track displacement effects and enforcement outcomes. The ordinance passed unanimously.
Provenance: Presentation, discussion and vote, SEG 4363–SEG 4666.
