Columbia median ordinance back on city council agenda Monday
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia City Council is expected to vote on a median ordinance on Monday. If passed, people would be prohibited from standing on medians that are on major roadways.
The ordinance was tabled at a November meeting and pushed back to February to allow all council members a chance to vote, hear comments and review additional information from city staff, according to a city council document.
The ordinance also requires pedestrians to use crosswalks or sidewalks on all roads. It would prohibit people from standing on medians on roads that are 35 miles per hour or higher, with 15,000 cars driving on the road daily and when the median is less than six feet wide.
After the November meeting, the Columbia Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission met to discuss the ordinance. Some members claim the ordinance is focused on panhandling, not pedestrian safety.
However, the city insists it's about safety.
"This is supported by peer city examples where such regulations have proven effective, as detailed in the CBB study, without singling out any population," a city council document reads.
The city also created a BeHeard survey, which received 264 comments with a range of support.
Some commenters argue the ordinance is much needed because people who stand in the median for extended periods of time, typically homeless people, can unexpectedly run out into the roadway.
Others argue the ordinance specifically targets panhandling and protests, like the Boone County Democrats' weekly demonstrations at the intersection of Broadway and Stadium Boulevard.
Riley Hofeditz is a student at David H. Hickman High School. She said she regularly sees people walking down Providence Road, especially when sidewalks are covered in snow.
She said the proposed ordinance could make pedestrian safety decline.
"They can still be classified as more jaywalkers or just pedestrians in general, and that can pose more of a safety to them and other people driving by instead of them being able to just stand on the medians," Hofeditz said.
