Traffic safety measures installed near LA schools
As children across Los Angeles return to school, city leaders have stressed the importance of new traffic safety measures near school campuses. The city has installed hundreds of speed bumps and hired hundreds of school crossing guards near LAUSD schools.
LOS ANGELES – Outside Van Nuys Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a series of new traffic safety measures aimed at protecting students in the vicinity of LAUSD schools.
“We all need to work together to keep our children and our neighborhoods safe,” said Mayor Bass, emphasizing the community’s role in keeping students safe.
New measures include installing over 250 speed bumps near 92 schools, deploying 500 school crossing guards for the 2024-25 school year, and implementing new “School Slow Zone” signs that enforce a 15 mph speed limit. City officials say these steps are critical to reducing the risks students face on their way to school.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among children between the ages of four and 14 – a statistic that city leaders find both tragic and unacceptable. Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian personally recounted a tragic incident that occurred shortly after he was elected to the council. “A young girl was killed at an intersection on her way to her elementary school and her sister was paralyzed by someone speeding through that intersection as they were crossing a crosswalk,” he said.
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Residents like Daniel Meza of Van Nuys believe these new safety measures will have a positive impact.
“I think it’s a good way to slow them down,” Meza said. “Sometimes people care more about their own stuff than other people, so they don’t want to drive too fast into that speed bump.”
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho emphasized the importance of these measures and said:
“For us, there is no higher priority than the protection and safety of our children and their families.”
While additional infrastructure such as speed bumps and crossing guards are essential, Council President Krekorian stressed that the most important factor in ensuring student safety is responsible driving.
“Just slow down and pay attention,” Krekorian said. “Put your cell phones away. Pay attention.”
