City Receives National Award for Youth Pedestrian Safety Project

Published on March 28, 2023

Mayor highlights school zone improvements at Saratoga Elementary

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliott today accepted the U.S. Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award for school zone safety improvements at Saratoga Elementary School, 2215 S. 13th St. Presented by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the award recognizes communities that excel in youth pedestrian and cycling safety.

“Making sure Lincoln's littlest residents can safely walk, bike, or ride to school is a priority we all share,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird. “As a community, we work together to deliver on this priority, knowing that, as adults, we have a special responsibility to help safeguard our children’s lives as they grow.”

Lincoln is the fifth city in the country to receive the Youth Leadership Award. Past recipients include Los Angeles and L.A. Unified School District; New York City and its Vision Zero Task Force; Fremont, CA; and Seattle and Seattle Public Schools.

Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina, presented the award at a ceremony at Saratoga Elementary. Pullen-Seufert said the award committee noted three significant elements in the Saratoga project: community engagement, infrastructure changes and creation of school zone standards that can benefit other communities.

“We are honored to recognize the accomplishments of the City of Lincoln and hope the impact of the city and its partners’ efforts on behalf of children’s pedestrian safety will continue to grow in the years ahead,” Pullen-Seufert said.

Joining Mayor Gaylor Baird at the award presentation were Roberto Partida, LTU Transportation Planner; Melissa Ramos-Lammli, LTU Senior Traffic Technician; Marci Imel, Saratoga Elementary School Principal; and Elisha Mackling, School Neighborhood Advisory Committee (SNAC) member and parent of three Saratoga students. 

Ramos-Lammli said the work done at Saratoga Elementary School is one of 21 school zone projects LTU has completed throughout the community since 2020. Safety improvements in the Saratoga project include:

  • Installation of curb ramps and an additional crosswalk
  • Reduced speed limits in certain areas
  • New traffic control devices, signage, and pavement markings to keep vehicles in their designated lane, out of the bike lane, and aware of lower speeds
  • Shortened pedestrian crossing distance to minimize the amount of time students are in the street
  • Addition of a school zone flasher to alert vehicles they are entering a school zone
  • Extension of a bike lane to the school

Partida said LTU worked with Lincoln Public Schools staff to engage the community in a variety of ways during development of the street safety project:

  • Communication with school representatives, parents, guardians, and neighborhood advocates to register their experiences traveling the area 
  • Identification of potential barriers preventing students from walking or biking to and from school through a survey of parents and guardians
  • Incorporation of survey results into the school zone evaluation which helped create the plan to improve traffic safety in the area
  • Presentation of the improvement plan at a SNAC meeting to ensure safety concerns were being addressed

The City also incorporated safety education into the project, Partida said. Following completion of the project, Safe Kids Lincoln-Lancaster and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department coordinated a Safety Education Day to teach Saratoga students how to navigate the crosswalks as they walk or bike to and from school.

Saratoga Principal Imel said a wide variety of community members volunteered their time to address child pedestrian safety as traffic near the school increased.

“The School Neighborhood Advisory Committee worked together to elevate concerns and provide solutions,” Imel said. “This committee brought together families, staff, neighbors, businesses, city leaders, and agencies to have difficult conversations – keeping the focus on student safety and inspire action to make much needed changes."

Mackling said she appreciated LTU’s quick response to feedback from parents about pedestrian safety at Saratoga.

“They took our concerns and suggestions and came up with several actionable items to increase safety in the area,” Mackling said. “I think the changes that were made around Saratoga are good ones. We hope this award can bring some awareness to Lincoln drivers for the need to slow down and put down their distractions, especially when they are in the vicinity of a school zone.”

For more information on LTU school zone improvement projects, visit lincoln.ne.gov/SchoolZone.