The City of Lawrence continues its commitment to prioritizing the safety of our children as they travel to and from school. As part of the ongoing Lawrence Safe Routes to School Program, we are dedicated to fostering secure pathways for families, particularly those living around schools and young pedestrians commuting daily.

The School Area Traffic Control Policy (SATCP), provides information regarding the establishment of school zones, crossings, adult crossing guards and Safe Routes to School (Infrastructure, Encouragement and Traffic Control) maps. The School Area Traffic Control Policy can be found here.


2023 – 2024 Safe Routes to School Revised Routes and Crossing Guard evaluation

The Safe Routes to School Plan was updated based on the USD 497 School Board decision to close Broken Arrow and Pinckney Elementary schools.  The new elementary boundaries for the 2023-2024 school year were used to develop revised SRTS routes, identified pedestrian & bikeway projects and adult crossing guard locations and pilots.

The city implemented and evaluated seven Pilot Crossing Guard locations this fall and all seven did not meet the criteria warranting a permanent crossing guard. These seven routes will no longer have an adult crossing guard starting Monday, Dec. 4. Those routes are:

  • Iowa and Clinton Parkway/23rd Street
  • Iowa and 27th Street
  • 6th Street and Folks Rd
  • 6th Street and Stoneridge Dr
  • 23rd Street and Louisiana
  • 9th Street and Emery
  • 6th Street and Michigan

Locations such as 6th St. & Folks Rd., 9th St. & Emery Rd., and other spots were closely monitored over 30-60 days to assess their effectiveness according to our School Area Traffic Control Policy.

The criteria for placing a permanent crossing guard at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal is a minimum of 30 children per day using the crossing. Evaluation data showed 0 children crossing daily at three pilot locations, 1 child crossing daily at three locations, and 4 children crossing daily at one location. The School Area Traffic Control Policy (SATCP) serves as our guiding beacon in establishing school zones, determining crossings, and placing adult crossing guards. For those interested in the specifics, the policy can be accessed here.


Citywide Crossing Guards 2023 – 2024

 


Links

The Lawrence-Douglas County Safe Routes to School Program is a partnership with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. View the Be Active Safe Routes site find school maps.

View the Safe Routes to School Plan.

Find out more about the Safe Routes to School built environment improvements.

Learn about what the City and Lawrence Public Schools does to promote school safety.