(KTTS News) — Springfield Police are doing everything they can to prevent pedestrian from being hit by cars and trucks.
It comes after a man was recently hit by a semi on a service road near the Walmart Supercenter near Kansas and I-44.
The man was sitting down off the roadway at the time.
Three pedestrians have been hit and killed so far this year.
Eight pedestrians died last year.
Police are doing proactive enforcement of the city’s pedestrian safety ordinance.
The ordinance, which went into effect in 2018, prohibits certain conduct between pedestrians and drivers on roadways with high volumes of traffic or high speed limits to keep people safe.
Officers will be working on this effort on a volunteer overtime basis and will be focused solely on enforcing this ordinance.
Press Release
Beginning in October, the Springfield Police Department will begin proactive enforcement of Springfield’s pedestrian safety ordinance.
In this directed patrol effort, officers will not only be able to respond quickly to citizen complaints of violations but also be free from other patrol duties to focus on city wide enforcement of the ordinance.
“In the wake of the fatality earlier this week, this effort’s goal is to protect pedestrians and drivers through education and enforcement, and help prevent another tragic incident,” Chief Paul Williams said.
The pedestrian safety ordinance, passed by City Council in 2017 and in effect since January 2018, prohibits certain conduct between pedestrians and drivers on roadways with high volumes of traffic or high speed limits to keep people safe.
It established the ability to fine, or arrest, pedestrians or drivers for violating City Code by limiting the time of day that a pedestrian can cross the roadway outside of crosswalks and intersections, restricting the crossing of arterial roadways and intersections to designated locations and noting the right of way in crosswalks.
Officers will be working on this effort on a volunteer overtime basis and will be focused solely on enforcing this ordinance.
