With so many students walking and riding bikes to Lathrop High School, the Lathrop City Council knew that they needed to do something to protect those students as they crossed busy streets to and from the campus every day.
And on Monday, they will vote to accept a completed crosswalk project that placed lights across Spartan Way to warn traffic that people are crossing the street – a safety improvement that city officials hope will prevent a tragedy and cut down on the likelihood of collisions involving motorists and bicyclists and pedestrians.
The council approved the installation last July, and Collins Electric was awarded the $67,800 contract to complete the work.
It’s just another step in the city’s effort to protect students as they walk or ride to school – some of whom travel underneath I-5 from Historic Lathrop to get to the rural school site.
The council has taken an active role in maintaining safety for students and pedestrians along the busy thoroughfare – which will soon provide access to hundreds of homeowners in addition to parents driving to and from the city’s only high school.
While the council had the opportunity to allow for Lathrop Police Services to issue citations to students who use earbuds when crossing the street going to and from school as a way of promoting safety, they stopped short of doing so – instead opting for signage and an education campaign urging young people to practice safe habits.
At the time Lathrop Police Chief Ryan Biedermann told the council that there had been a number of accidents involving bicyclists and motorists near the high school, but that the city had fortunately not had any with major injuries – something that his officers worked to try and prevent by counseling students on the necessity of bike helmets and using tickets only as a last resort.
Because of social distancing guidelines, the Lathrop City Council meeting will be held via teleconference through Cisco WebEx. Some, or potentially all, of the council members may participate in the meeting electronically – something that was made possible by Governor Gavin Newsom’s relaxation of California’s public meeting laws as the state grapples with the COVID-19 virus. The meeting will be held on Monday, April 13 at 7 p.m. For information about how to access the meeting, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us. Those interested in attending online may access the meeting by going to https://cityoflathrop.webex.com/cityoflathrop/onstage/g.php?MTID=ebf006a49804216234e7252c32d6850ab.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
