"We have received requests for student crossing guards from two dozen other schools," said Yee. "Principals, parents and students have commented how pick-up and drop-off times have improved because of the presence and visibility of our student crossing guards."
Yee requested a hearing "to explore the possibilities of expanding [the program] citywide." The school crossing guard program has been partially funded by the American Automobile Association, according to a KPIX report on the pilot program last year:
The school crossing guard program faded away citywide in 2010, after AAA moved out of its San Francisco headquarters, but AAA is now providing the neon green hats, sashes and badges that will be worn by the young guards.
"In District 7, we have many dangerous corridors, which affects student getting to and from schools," said Yee. "We also have schools with very congested roads during drop-off and pick-up times which causes unsafe conditions for pedestrians."
"Through our Vision Zero work, we realized that education plays a crucial role in our three-pronged approach to ending pedestrian fatalities," said Yee. "To address the issue of pedestrian safety at schools, it is important to engage young children as part of the solution."
He added that the program will "hopefully" help kids "become safer future drivers on the road."
Yee, who was hit by a driver in a crosswalk in 2006, said he served as a volunteer crossing guard himself as an elementary school student in SF. "The experience instilled in me the importance of traffic safety."
Aaron was the editor of Streetsblog San Francisco from January 2012 until October 2015. He joined Streetsblog in 2010 after studying rhetoric and political communication at SF State University and spending a semester in Denmark.
BART was the first accessible transit system in the country. Advocates want Bay Area transit agencies to do better at keeping buses and trains accessible for all