KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced a new ordinance to make school zone crosswalks safer.
If passed, it would prohibit turning right on a red light during school zone hours.
"I thought rather than doing something that impacts every right turn at every intersection, we ain't trying to do that fight," Lucas said. "We're trying to be simple: slow down around kids, stop, look both ways, make sure there's not a child there."
The ordinance says it is "consistent with the City's commitment to Vision Zero principles and the goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on Kansas City streets."
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It comes after a little girl, Hazen Workman-Duffy, was hit by a van while she was riding her bike to school on Oct. 14.
The driver in that case was turning left when he hit Workman-Duffy, who was in the crosswalk. However, Lucas told KSHB 41 the ordinance is just one thing the city can do right now to prevent more pedestrian accidents.
"We think that this is the sort of thing that's reasonable," Lucas said. "I know there are some people who hate all things traffic calming, they want us to just be able to speed through the city, but I'm here to say very simply, first of all, you shouldn't be trying to. We want more pedestrians out. We're opening a streetcar line. We have school zones, all of those so we can keep people safe. This is one step to do."
The city's Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee will take up the topic on Oct. 28.
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