Council Approves Reconfiguration of Crossing Guard Program Eight Months After Tragic Accident
Last Tuesday the Council approved the relocation of 5 existing crossing guard posts and the temporary addition of crossing guards at 3 new sites. One of the new sites to receive a crossing guard is at the busy intersection of Newton and Madison near Walteria elementary.
That intersection was the site of a tragic accident last October when children Sophia Galindo and Justin Clift were hit by a car in a crosswalk near Walteria elementary. Sophia has since physically recovered from her injuries, but Justin, only 5 years old at the time of the accident, suffered a traumatic brain injury and is still in a coma.
Shortly after the accident, parents from Walteria elementary appealed to the Council to act quickly to provide a crossing guard at the busy intersection where the children were hit. In response, the Council moved to initiate a study. Once that was completed the matter came before the Traffic Commission, then a Council Sub-committee, and finally the full Council last Tuesday. The entire process took eight long months.
Oddly, the terrible accident with the school children was only mentioned once in passing during the Council’s deliberations when Mayor Furey noted that the Council was reacting because “a child” was hit in an unprotected crosswalk.
Most of the discussion revolved around how to protect the City’s bottom line and the need to better educate parents on the dangers of crosswalks.
Kids crossing street at Anza Elementary
Councilman Goodrich queried how the action would mitigate the City’s risk in the advent of a lawsuit noting that “you can’t mitigate all risk,” and “even if you put out an additional 200 guards we would still get sued.”
City Manager Leroy Jackson commented that technically it was the responsibility of the school district to provide guards. To that, Mayor Furey said that they had talked to the district about reassuming that responsibility and that they [the district] “were not really interested in that at all.”
Mayor Furey further stated that “sometimes a crosswalk is a false sense of security, people think it’s a barrier … a lot of it comes down to education.”
Councilwoman Ashcraft agreed that education is paramount and suggested working with the PTA to educate parents and kids daily “that just because there is a crosswalk doesn’t mean it’s safe to run out.” She also stated they looked at removing some [crosswalks] “just for the purpose of kids not feeling like it is a safe thing.”
Crosswalk at Anza and Marrot intersection
Councilmember Griffiths, however, had a different take. Unlike his colleagues, he stated his belief that the “presence of crossing guards has protected children. He then went on to say that he thought that, “the relatively small price to pay for that protection is worth not having the potential of a child getting hit.”
As indicated by Ashcraft, the relocation of posts caused some school sites to lose crossing guards. Anza Elementary, for example, will lose guards at the busy intersection of Carson/Anza and also at Ruby/Palos Verdes. Arnold, Edision, and Fern Elementary will also be losing crossing guards.
The 3 new guards will cost the City $42,450 and were only approved for one year due to lack of permanent funding. In order to find the money, the Council had to utilize a portion of one-time funds received in a recent land swap with Rolling Hills Estates. The newly reconfigured crossing guard program will take effect at the beginning of the next school year.
Removing crosswalks and crossing guards will make it safer? Lunacy!
Here is yet another indication of a very strong decline of enforcement of the CA Vehicle Code with regards to the rights and safety of pedestrians. Every Child should be taught by his parents about safety, and the city should do everything it has the power to do to assure that “SAFETY” comes first in all cases for the future citizens of both this City and State.
I am sick and tired of people making excuses for not taking agressive, immediate action on an important issue such as this.
Has this society lost it all and doesn’t want to step up and do the right thing by taking responsibility for the complete “SAFETY” of the young in our city borders. WOW, what a disgrace the City is in. If they don’t see the problem with the way they conjure up reasons for taking “NO ACTION” on such an IMPORTANT matter, they maybe we should start a RECALL OF THE ENTIRE COUNCIL NOW AND PUT SOMEBODY THERE IN THEIRS AND OUR CHAIRS WHO WILL TAKE RESPONSIBLE ACTION and PROTECT THE YOUNG IN SCHOOLS IN OUR CITY!
Listening to this pass the buck idea is DISGUSTING! I fail to understand what has happened to SANITY AND COMMON SENSE TODAY IN THIS WORLD.
Of course the school district isn’t interested why would they?? City is doing it and paying for it, they don’t need that headache. Just like they gave Arts and library to parents volunteers at the schools why not cross guards to the city. Amazing how city bottom line did not matter that night besides for this topic. Complete carelessness!!!
Thank you Councilman Griffiths for being the only decent human being thinking of other people’s LIVES before a budget.
I live right here at Newton and Madison. I walked my son to school EVERY day. I follow the rules of the road and cross walks. I have almost gotten hit quite a few times, and I know I am not the only one.
Saying that we need to educate our children about the rules of cross walks is very offensive and feels like a slap in the face. WHY are we as the pedestrians getting the blame for this?! What about the drivers who blaze through the stop sign and drove throgh the occupied cross walk?!?! This is insanity and I am ashamed to call these people my councilmen and mayor.
This is a new low. As a life long Torrance resident, I am disgusted at the actions of our mayor and city council. With the exception of Mr. Griffiths, our city leaders have spoken loud and clear that the bottom line is more important than our city’s most precious commodity; our children. Torrance should be ashamed.
So the city, which is providing a service that the schools should be providing is the bad guy?
Sorry. I don’t get that logic. Why is TUSD not stepping up to handle this?
Because Torrance has let them off the hook. Now, all these years into it, of course TUSD washes its hands of the situation.
I was really surprised to find out the city provides crossing guards. Every where else I have lived, it is the schools. As it should be.
Maybe this is a fight that should be taken to the district.
And why shouldn’t the PTA be involved at least in the education side of things? Help spread the word about safety and give constant reminders before another horrific accident happens.
No crosswalk is ever completely safe. Parents have the ultimate responsibility to make sure their kids get to and from school safely.
I agree that there needs to be some sort of fix for this.
But TUSD needs to recognize its part in this, not say they have no interest in it.