Yard sign, Person running for District Six Council in Salt Lake using traffic safety as a campaign issue

Some months ago, in my greater neighborhood a child walking home from school was killed crossing an intersection ("Salt Lake City girl struck, killed in crosswalk near elementary school," Salt Lake Tribune).  

Like some of the recent traffic deaths in DC ("A tragic crash shows the importance of enforcing the rules of the road," Washington Post), I surmise that this was 100% driver error.  

There were no design or visibility issues at the intersection.  The driver says he didn't see her, but in reality I think "I didn't see her/him" really means "I didn't bother looking."

In any case, the problem is negligent or reckless driving, less about road design.  In response to the death, apparently the city transportation department is going to do enhanced sidewalk crossings along one of the major arterials serving the elementary school.  But the real issue is how to prevent bad drivers from driving.

Anyway, I was surprised to see a challenger to the District 6 incumbent using traffic safety as a campaign issue, on yard signs and his website.  I just wonder how real the concern is.  Not that Taymour Semnani isn't interested, but will his focus be substantive?

Salt Lake City recently installed enhanced crosswalk crossings, using a brick motif, at a side street entrance on Westminster Avenue, serving Dilworth Elementary School.

Of course, to me, one of the biggest issues in Salt Lake is the failure to have a systematic "Safe Routes to School" program to encourage walking and biking to school.  

Salt Lake has open enrollment, so a lot of kids don't live near the schools they attend, and are driven.  On the other hand, a lot of schools, especially on the east side are well embedded in neighborhoods, and experience high rates of walking and cycling to school, even if it isn't formally supported.

So this increases the potential for conflict with motor vehicles, since the vast majority of trips here are completed by car.  The best way to address this is through SRTS programs.

Walk and Bike to School initiatives as a way to do urban design improvements in a neighborhood.  While I argue that transportation agencies should be planning for "walkable communities" not pedestrians ("Planning for place/urban design/neighborhoods versus planning for transportation modes: new 17th Street NW bike lanes | Walkable community planning versus "pedestrian" planning," ), the improvements that come from developing safe routes to schools also serve neighborhoods.

-- "Wednesday is National Walk and Roll to School Day," 2022 
-- "Why isn't walking/biking to school programming an option in Suburban Omaha? | Inadequacies in school transportation planning," 2022

Note that such programs should also address night time activities ("Night-time safety: rethinking lighting in the context of a walking community," 2014).

- School Walk and Bike Routes: A Guide for Planning and Improving Walk and Bike to School Options for Students, Washington State Department of Transportation
-- Safe Routes to School program, Washington State Department of Transportation
-- City of Tacoma SRTS program, including SRTS Action Plan.  

Walk and bike to school activities can also be a way to engage residents who don't have children, in supporting "bike buses" and "walking school buses."

But if kids aren't neighborhood residents, they aren't going to be walking or biking.

Bike bus at Rose Park Elementary.  Note that during Bike Month (last month, I didn't get around to writing about it), a parent on the city's west side organized a "bike bus" for her neighborhood school ("Salt Lake woman organizing ‘bike bus’ method as new transportation for school kids,"  Fox13, "Salt Lake woman organizing ‘bike bus’ method as new transportation for school kids," Utah Public Radio).

Mayor Erin Mendenhall joined them!

We love biking in #SLC! 🚲

What a beautiful morning to join students and parents on their “bike bus” to Rose Park Elementary. Thank you to Trina Perez and the Rose Park community for creating such an inspirational event. I can’t wait to join you all again next school year! pic.twitter.com/RiKJGOcEAq

— Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) May 31, 2023