City says safety improvements to Clark Lane will take years

Columbia city officials say it could take years before they make any safety improvements to Clark Lane.

Battle High School student Claudine Nibigira, 17, was hit and killed by a vehicle Monday night on Clark Lane in a stretch of road that doesn’t have a sidewalk.

The city has an initiative in place to eliminate the number traffic deaths called Vision Zero, and leaders say they have to prioritize with limited resources.

“We’re trying to make sure that we’re doing the best that we can with the money that’s available making it as safe as possible with the money that’s available for whatever project,” said Richard Stone, a city engineering and operations manager.

“Projects may have started out or be in a process of a 5-8 year process before they’re actually built,” Stone said.

Nibigira was fourth pedestrian hit by a car on Clark Lane since 2009. MoDOT says 301 pedestrians were killed on Missouri’s public roads between 2015 and 2017.

“Everybody’s interested in it — trying to become as walk friendly as we can,” Stone said.

According to MoDOT, every year in Columbia approximately 62 people lose their lives or are seriously injured while traveling on city streets.