LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced hundreds of safety provisions near schools have been installed to make it safer for students to get to and from school. These installations follow action from the Mayor and City Council last year in response to tragic pedestrian deaths.
“The City moved urgently to install hundreds of safety provisions near schools ahead of this new school year,” said Mayor Bass. “In partnership with the City Council and Los Angeles Unified School District, we took action to make streets safer near schools and we will continue to do more to promote student safety.”
City departments have completed installation of projects and actions to make areas around schools safer ahead of this school year, including:
Implementing street safety projects in the form of “quick build” street improvements at more than 180 intersections at more than 40 schools
Installing more than 250 speed humps near 92 schools where speeding is a known issue
Establishing School Slow Zones with reduced 15 mph speed limits on more than 450 street segments adjoining 190 schools.
By expediting the hiring of crossing guards, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) will deploy more than 500 crossing guards for the coming school year, continuing the widest deployment in over a decade.
“I commend Mayor Bass’ continuous innovation and forward thinking to improve the lives of Angelenos. As Chair of the Transportation Committee, I am always eager to find new ways to enhance safety on our City streets and address needs directly at their source. With the first day of school approaching, implementing new slow zones and speed bumps is crucial for ensuring children can get to and from school safely,” said Councilwoman Heather Hutt, Council District 10.
“In recent years, Los Angeles Unified students and families have become victims of senseless vehicular traffic incidents while walking to and from school,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “As we welcome back our students, staff and families to the 2024-25 school year, our Board of Education members and I are grateful for the steps Mayor Bass and the City Council have taken to address these safety issues with urgency. Los Angeles Unified looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all our governmental partners to safeguard the wellbeing of our students and school community.”
“The hundreds of safety treatments LADOT installed over the last year, and the record number of crossing guards hired, represent the most significant investment our City has ever made to prevent dangerous driving behavior near schools,” said LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo. “I want to thank the Mayor, the City Council, and LAUSD for their shared commitment to making sure students get to their classrooms safely.”
Over the summer, the City took action to deploy resources through the Summer Night Lights program to some school-adjacent recreation facilities to increase youth and family programming in our public spaces in order to help reduce violence. The program is a key component of the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Comprehensive Strategy.