Fresno City Council votes to adopt lower 20 mph speed limits in school zones

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno City Council has voted unanimously to determination guardant with lowering velocity limits successful schoolhouse zones from 25 miles per hr to 20, positioning the metropolis arsenic an aboriginal adopter of a caller statewide mandate.

"We bash person a motion. We person a second. Any opposed? ... Seeing none. That point passes 7 to 0," councilmember Nelson Esparza said during Thursday's meeting.

The velocity simplification aligns with Assembly Bill 382, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into instrumentality past October. The statewide request is not scheduled to instrumentality effect until January 2031.

Esparza said the alteration is overdue for Fresno schools.

"I don't person the nonstop data, but there's surely person been collisions betwixt vehicles and our students successful these schoolhouse zones and it's tragic," helium said.

Esparza added that helium has witnessed the occupation firsthand.

"It's a compliant I person myself arsenic idiosyncratic who drops disconnected their kid astatine 1 of our section simple schools," helium said.

Fresno Unified School District expressed enactment for the city's action.

In a connection to Action News, the territory said, "We invited immoderate changes oregon improvements which would mean our students and parents volition beryllium safer erstwhile walking, riding their bikes and driving to and from school."

Implementing the caller velocity limits volition necessitate replacing existing signage crossed the city.

"We person a full of 149 schools passim the city. It's a large effort," Fresno Public Works manager Scott Mozier told the councilmembers.

The estimated outgo for the task is betwixt $400,000 and $500,000.

For galore students, the information concerns are familiar. Edgar Torres, a Jefferson Elementary alumnus, recalled narrowly avoiding cars adjacent campus.

"You had to truly ticker retired due to the fact that if not you could beryllium tally over," helium said.

Councilmember Tyler Maxwell shared a akin experience.

"They adjacent had maine to spell retired to Erickson Elementary. It is beauteous scary retired there. I astir got deed by a car," helium said.

Esparza said helium hopes the caller signs volition beryllium installed successful clip for the commencement of the adjacent world twelvemonth successful August.

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