A Step Toward Safety

Assemblyman Lou Correa has introduced legislation that would provide $10 million for more school crossing guards statewide, and as much as $100,000 for local communities such as Santa Ana, which has been struggling to reduce its high pedestrian fatality rate.

The proposal introduced Wednesday would pay for the hiring and training of at least seven crossing guards in Santa Ana, which Correa and others believe would go far in improving safety around schools.

“I have seen firsthand how crossing guards can make a difference in the safety of our children as they walk to and from schools,” said Correa (D-Anaheim), who co-wrote the bill with Assemblywoman Sally Havice, (D-Cerritos).

School officials in Santa Ana say more school guards are sorely needed. Currently, 80 crossing guards assist children near the city’s 37 elementary schools, but officials say at least six more are needed immediately. The situation has gotten so bad that the district has turned to volunteers to help at some locations.

“We’d love to have more crossing guards,” said Jim Miyashiro, the district’s police chief. “There are some areas that aren’t covered.”

School crossing guards, both in Santa Ana and elsewhere, have complained that their job has become increasingly dangerous as traffic volume increases and fewer motorists yield to them as they attempt to walk children across streets.

Two Santa Ana crossing guards were hit by cars in the last year, and similar accidents occurred last year in Newport Beach and Orange.

Experts said the situation points to a shift in the role of crossing guards over the past two decades as traffic volume has increased, motorists have become more aggressive and more children have begun walking to school rather than taking buses.

In response to safety concerns, Santa Ana police officers last fall began patrolling six intersections where school officials or crossing guards have reported problems. The officers ticket drivers who fail to stop, with fines ranging from $77 to $136.

The Correa/Havice bill is the latest in a slew of legislation designed to make the streets safer for children walking to and from school.

Last year, the legislature approved a bill setting aside $20 million to improve pedestrian safety for children.

The legislation allows cities to apply for state grants for a variety of pedestrian-oriented construction projects--from building walkways and bridges to installing traffic medians and bumps to slow vehicle traffic. It’s unclear how much Santa Ana will get.

Santa Ana has the highest pedestrian fatality rate in Southern California, and a school district study found that about half of all pedestrian accidents in the city involved children walking within a few blocks of a campus.