Lawrence Kansas “School Zones”
Report to LPC
September 9, 2015
Carol Bowen
Mike Kelly
Outline
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Status Quo
Best Practices
Gap Analysis
Recommendations
Backup Slides
Lawrence Status Quo
• Definition
– School Zone—a designated roadway segment
approaching, adjacent to, and beyond school buildings or
grounds, or along which school related activities occur.
•
2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD, Chapter 1A, Section 1A.13.03.185), Federal Highway Administration, US
Department of Transportation
• Comments
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Not limited to public schools or elementary level
Not limited to school buildings
Designation requires four elements (see next slide)
Example geographic designation might be “West Sixth ST
between Alabama ST and Indiana ST” for Pinkney ES
Lawrence Status Quo
• Does Lawrence City Code “designate” school
zones?
– No is the short answer
– Kansas law* permits reduced maximum speed limit
school zones for reasonableness and safety if…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Process: Must be established by local ordinance
Process: Following traffic or engineering study
Time Limit: students en route to and from school
Geographic Limit: MUTCD definition and findings of
associated traffic or engineering study per KSA 8-1560
* Specifically, KSA 8-1560, “Rules of the Road”
Best Practices--Olathe
•School Crossing Hotline Phone Established
•Crossing Guard Schedules and Posts Publicized
•Walking Maps and Aerial Photos of drop off and pick up
points for all Elementary Schools within city limits
•School Safety page on city web site
•Title 10, Chapter 10.28 Establishes and Declares
geographic extent of each School Zone in City
•Title 10, Chapter 10.01.004(b)(4) provides authority for
Traffic Engineer “to establish, designate, and mark school
zones with the city”
Best Practices--Topeka
• School Zone Safety Video posted on Police
Department Web Page
• School speed zones established* for the safety
of children attending school
• Transportation Operations Division installs and
maintains signs
• All signage deviations documented as public
record
* Topeka Municipal Code 10.20.130 through 10.20.170
Best Practices--Manhattan
• Chapter 31 Article VII establishes specific
school zone geographic limits and effective
times of day (Code of Ordinances: Section 31221)
• Calls for flashing beacons at certain
designated school zones (Section 31-222)
• Defines authority of school crossing guards
(section 31-223)
Gap Identification (page 1 of 2)
• Lawrence does not:
• Have school zones; rather there are reduced speed limits
and school zone signage inconsistently posted in some
locations.
• Designate by ordinance school zones, student pedestrian
safety countermeasures or related student pedestrian
safety definitions
• Have a school zone/school crossing hotline phone number
• Sufficiently publicize school crossing guard posts,
schedules, or duties
• Display a sufficiently proactive attitude to address student
pedestrian hazards near all city schools—public and
private
Gap Identification (page 2 of 2)
• Lawrence does not:
• Have USD 497 school board or public school officials
energetically supporting Safe Routes To Schools (other
than recent welcome efforts to update and refine USD 497
Physical Education curriculum accordingly.)
• Assess school zone requirements and student pedestrian
safety countermeasures in land use planning such as in
subdivision design standards
• Possess an enduring process documented by interagency
agreements for student pedestrian hazard detection &
mitigation
• Does not delegate authority to establish additional school
zones to appropriate city official under such a process
Recommendations
• LPC agree to report these ideas to PBI TF Chaired by Marilyn Hull,
with copy to Acting City Manager Diane Stoddard, USD 497 Board
President Vanessa Sanburn, and Mayor Mike Amyx
• Call upon City Commission to draft “reasonable and safe” ordinance
on school zones (additional detail following slides)
• Call upon City Commission and School Board to fund and direct
implementation of school zone upgrades based upon “reasonable
and safe” ordinance and engineering and traffic investigational
studies (additional detail following slides)
– Call upon Chief of Police to increase Crossing Guard posts per
engineering studies. Raise the profile of the Crossing Guard workers
– Implement school zone/school crossing hotline via LDC Emergency
(911) Dispatchers
– Call upon city public and private school administrators to cooperate
with city-led implementation of school zone studies & upgrades
Elements of Proposed Ordinances
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Declare lower vehicle speeds when school age children are en route to
and from school activities are reasonable and increase safety
• List all schools in Lawrence—public and private
• Designate notional geographic limits for school speed zones to all adjacent
streets
– Listed individually for every school and location where school activities occur
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Define the following terms according to national best practices
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Designate notional effective times by individual school and declare that
school administrators decisions to alter school schedules automatically
alter the temporal extent of the school speed zones without further city
action. School administrators must inform city officials of changes in
school activity arrivals or dismissals in advance. EXCEPTION: fire or other
safety & security emergency situations
• School Enrollment Boundary
• School Walk Zone
• School Zone
Elements of Proposed Ordinances
• Direct City Manager, in conjunction with Chief of Police,
School Board and school administrators (public and private) to
conduct an engineering and traffic investigational study of
each notional school speed zone for need, geographic extent,
signage variances and additional pedestrian safety
countermeasure including a review of crossing guard posting
requirements to be complete by 1/1/16
• Establish school zone/school crossing hotline at LDC
Emergency Dispatch (911) as soon as possible
Elements of Proposed Ordinances
• City commission pass implementation ordinance based upon
results of school zone study completed by 1/1/16
– Related administrative/regulatory agreements among city
& school administrators for student pedestrian hazard
detection and mitigation to be in place by 3/1/16
– Additional signage & pedestrian safety countermeasures
to be funded and installed by 8/1/16
– Delegate authority for future school speed zone
designations to appropriate city official
– Establish and formally document enduring relationships
among city officials and school administrators to continue
proactive student pedestrian hazard detection & mitigation
Backup Slides
• There are currently 13 School Crossing Guards.
• Crossing Guards are assigned to 19 school
intersections. Depending on school times, they
may be assigned to two crossing locations.
Source: http://police.lawrenceks.org/content/school-crossing-guard-0
STO* for Kansas Cities
• Sec. 19. Designation of Crosswalks and Safety Zones.
The chief of police, subject to the approval of the
governing body, may designate and maintain by
appropriate devices, marks or lines on the surface of
the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where in
his/her opinion there is particular danger to
pedestrians crossing the roadway and at such other
places as may be deemed necessary. The chief of police
may also, subject to such approval, establish and mark
safety zones of such kind and character and at such
places as may be deemed necessary for the protection
of pedestrians. (K.S.A. 8-2001 and K.S.A. 8-2006)
* Standard Traffic Ordinance (STO)
STO for Kansas Cities
• Sec. 204. Fines Doubled in Road Construction and School Zones.
• (a) Fines listed in the schedule of fines, as established by the
municipal court judge, shall be doubled if a person is convicted of a
ordinance traffic infraction, which is defined as a moving violation
in accordance with rules and regulations adopted pursuant to K.S.A.
8-249, and amendments thereto, committed within any road
construction zone.
• (b) Fines listed in the schedule of fines, as established by the
municipal court judge relating to exceeding the maximum speed
limit, shall be doubled if a person is convicted of exceeding the
maximum speed limit in a school zone authorized under subsection
(a)(4) of K.S.A. 8-1560, and amendments thereto. (K.S.A. Supp. 82118)
* Standard Traffic Ordinance (STO)
KSA 8-1560 “Rules of the Road”
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Alteration of maximum speed limits; powers of local authorities, limitations and
restrictions; establishing speed limits in road construction zones. (a) Whenever
local authorities in their respective jurisdictions determine on the basis of an
engineering and traffic investigation that the maximum speed permitted is greater
or less than is reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist upon a
highway or part of a highway, the local authority may determine and declare a
reasonable and safe maximum limit thereon which:
(1) Decreases the limit at intersections;
(2) increases the limit within an urban district but not to exceed the maximum
speed of 65 miles per hour;
(3) decreases the limit outside an urban district, but not to less than 20 miles per
hour, except as authorized by K.S.A. 8-1560a, and amendments thereto;
(4) decreases the limit within an urban district in a school zone to not less than
20 miles per hour, except that any such decreased limit shall apply only during the
hours in which students are normally en route to or from school, such zones and
hours to be determined by ordinance or resolution of such local authority;
Definitions
• School Enrollment Boundary*: the entire zone
around the school from which students are drawn.
• School Walk Zone*: subset of the enrollment zone.
The walking boundary is 1/2 mile or 1-mile out from
an elementary school, sometimes further for middle
and high schools
*
Source: http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/engineering
Definitions
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School Zone*: Roadway (or roadways) immediately adjacent to the school
usually extending one to two blocks in each direction. Speed limits are
reduced in the school zone during morning and afternoon hours. Special
signing is used - crossing signs, speed signs, school zone pavement
markings - so that motorists know to treat the area with special care and
attention.
School Zone**: a designated roadway segment approaching, adjacent to,
and beyond school buildings or grounds, or along which school related
activities occur.
*
Source: http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/engineering/the_school_zone.cfm
**
2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, MUTCD, 1A.13.03.185