L.A. adds more than 250 speed humps near schools

As the first day of school approaches for Los Angeles Unified School District students and families, the city announced Friday that more than 450 slow zones and 250 speed humps have been installed in response to pedestrian deaths.

"The city moved urgently to install hundreds of safety provisions near schools ahead of this new school year," Bass said in a statement. "In partnership with the City Council and Los Angeles Unified School District, we took action to make streets safer near schools and we will continue to do more to promote student safety."

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City departments completed installing projects and took actions to make areas around schools safer with students returning to school, starting Monday, with the following work:

-- Implemented "quick build" street safety projects at more than 180 intersections more than 40 schools;

-- Installed more than 250 speed humps near 92 schools where speeding is a known issue;

-- Established "School Slow Zones" with 15 mph speed limits on more than 450 street segments around 190 schools; and

-- Expedited the hiring of crossing guards. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will deploy more than 500 crossing guards in the 2024-25 school year, which officials say will be the "widest deployment" of crossing guards in over a decade.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt, who chairs the council's Transportation Committee, added that with the first day of school approaching, these safety measures are "crucial" to safeguard children.

"The hundreds of safety treatments LADOT installed over the last year, and the record number of crossing guards hired, represent the most significant investment our city has ever made to prevent dangerous driving behavior near schools," LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo said in a statement.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho noted that in recent years, LAUSD students and families have become victims of "senseless" vehicular traffic incidents while walking to and from school.

"As we welcome back our students, staff and families to the 2024-25 school year, our Board of Education members and I are grateful for the steps Mayor Bass and the City Council have taken to address these safety issues with urgency," Carvalho said in a statement. "Los Angeles Unified looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all our governmental partners to safeguard the wellbeing of our students and school community."

The city of Los Angeles took action to bolster public safety around schools, in part, following a crash near Hancock Park Elementary School last year. A woman was struck and killed by a vehicle and her 6-year-old daughter was critically injured as they walked to school.

Soon after, Carvalho also reported that a 14-year-old student at Berendo Middle School near downtown Los Angeles was struck by a vehicle.

LAUSD officials and residents of the city urged L.A. officials to take action to prevent further tragedies around schools.

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