Lakewood Council to Vote on Safe Routes Ordinance

Lakewood City Council will review a citizen-proposed ordinance on Nov. 2 that aims to protect pedestrian safety in a dense, walkable community. The Lakewood Safe Routes for Children Initiative requires the city to implement specific safety measures before changes reroute large numbers of children to new schools.

More than 1,600 residents signed the petition, which was filed by five residents under the City Charter. The proposal seeks to apply existing transportation and safety plans to major changes in children's travel patterns rather than reviewing safety measures on a case-by-case basis.

The initiative responds to the Lakewood City School District's plan to close Lincoln Elementary and redraw attendance boundaries. The Board of Education approved these changes on Sept. 28. According to an analysis of district data, approximately 830 children, or 43 percent of pre-K through fifth graders, will attend different schools starting in fall 2027.

Residents' data indicates that the average walk for the 242 children in Lincoln's current zone would increase from 0.39 to 0.80 miles. The number of K-5 students crossing Detroit Avenue would rise 45 percent, from 181 to 263, while daily railroad crossings would increase from 229 to 333.

The ordinance would establish defined criteria for when a formal review is required. A change qualifies if 50 or more children newly cross a high-risk street, 50 or more children walk at least a quarter mile farther, or 100 or more children are reassigned. In such cases, the City Engineer must map affected routes and publish recommended improvements, including costs and funding sources.

The finance director would have 15 days to ask Council to fund the necessary work before the changes begin. The ordinance requires that improvements, or approved alternatives that make routes measurably safer, be in place before the first day children use new routes. Crossing guards and police traffic support would be mandatory from that date, and existing protections could not be reduced.

Dr. Matthew Badgett, an internal medicine physician and one of the petitioners, stated that the city has already identified problem spots and recommended fixes in existing plans. He said the initiative ensures these plans are put in place before major changes undermine them. If Council does not pass the ordinance as submitted, it will go before Lakewood voters.