The city of Lawrence, Kansas, is re-evaluating its road safety program, which adds physical devices such as speed bumps or traffic circles, to slow traffic. So the city is asking residents to report traffic safety concerns at a portal on its website: LawrenceKS.org/traffic-safety.
The Lawrence Journal World learned funding for traffic calming projects is limited while the list of projects grows at a city commission meeting in October.
Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard said the website allows residents to report traffic safety concerns about any dangerous driving behavior in their neighborhoods.
The reports will help the city decide on improvements to roadways, whether to increase traffic enforcement and provide more traffic education.
With an online form, residents can report vehicles:
- Speeding
- Ignoring school zones
- Running stop signs
- Making illegal turns
- Failing to yield at crosswalks
Each report logs a location and the days and times experienced.
Previously, city staff members from multiple departments received calls and emails from residents concerned about repeated dangerous driving in their neighborhoods, according to a memo to the commission.
With an online form directing the city’s traffic safety concerns, the Municipal Services and Operations Department and Lawrence Police Department can review what’s submitted by residents on a regular basis.
While the website does not currently aggregate and visualize report data, by gathering the data, the city of more than 90,000 people will be able to identify trends and target traffic education, public safety enforcement and traffic safety improvements to road locations with persistent issues.
MSO Management Analyst Kevyn Gero said each year, the city can reevaluate traffic management needs and better prioritize services that address road safety.