As Students Return To Classrooms, Drivers to Encounter New Street Safety Improvements Near Schools

Valentine the crossing guard. Creator, Debbie Galant. Creative Commons

LOS ANGELES—Mayor Karen Bass announced hundreds of new street safety improvements installed by the city to make it safer for children and families to walk safely to and from school. Improvements include installing new speed humps, signage and intersection treatments which help ensure drivers are traveling slowly and with control near schools. Last year, Mayor Bass announced the first installation of street safety infrastructure along with hiring of crossing guards.

“As the school year begins, the City has doubled down and completed hundreds of new street improvements to keep families and children safe as they get to and from school,” said Mayor Bass. “We will do all that we can to continue to make communities safer and focus on ensuring a safe experience for students this year.”

The city has completed installation of projects and taken action to make areas around schools safer, including:

Establishing School Slow Zones with reduced 15 mph speed limit at 625 schools, including 343 new street segments near 201 schools ahead of the new school year.
Completing 469 speed hump or steed table installations near 117 schools since 2023 – with 30 new schools receiving speed humps over the recent summer break.
Installing safety improvements including quick-build intersection tightening, new “No Right Turn on Red” restrictions, and leading pedestrian intervals (gives pedestrians a short head start, of 3-7 seconds, when crossing an intersection before vehicles are given a green light) at more than 75 schools.
Deploying nearly 500 crossing guards to help escort elementary and middle-school students across busy corridors.

LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo said this initiative has delivered improvements at hundreds of schools to reduce driver speed and ensure children can get to school safe and ready to learn.