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Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes to School Project goal was to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and traffic safety for students, parents, and residents that attend and/or live near three Burbank Unified School District (BUSD) schools: George Washington Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, and John Muir Middle School.

Project Location Map (PDF)

The Project was completed in March 2020. To see before and after photos of some of the improvements, please click the link below.

Before and After Project Photos (PDF)

Construction

Between January and March 2020, the City's contractor constructed the school safety improvements around Washington Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and John Muir Middle Schools.

City Council Meeting - Award Construction Contract

On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, City Council awarded the construction contract.

City Council Meeting - Approve Conceptual Design

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, City Council approved the conceptual improvements for the Safe Routes to School Project to move forward with final engineering design. Council also approved Citywide policies for 15 mph school speed zones and adopted a local criteria for installing all-way stop signs.

On Thursday, October 18, 2018, the 2nd Community Meeting was held at the City of Burbank Community Services Building. Staff provided an update on past outreach activities and data collected. Staff also presented the proposed conceptual Project improvements for the three Project area schools (Washington Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Muir Middle) to gain community feedback. A summary of the meeting is provided below: 

  • Approximately 20 community members attended the 90 minute meeting.
  • Staff provided a presentation followed by an Open House forum with three separate stations, one for each of the Project area schools, with staff at each station to answer questions and receive feedback.
  • Attendees expressed the following feedback:
    • Speeding and poor driver behavior is a high concern;
    • Concerned about creating more congestion with proposed installation of All-Way Stop Signs and speed humps;
    • Supportive of speed humps to slow down high vehicular speeds;
    • Request to install a Stop Sign at Winona/Brighton to improve school-related circulation near Washington Elementary;
    • Request to install a Stop Sign at Groton/Jolley;
    • Enforcement seems to be the only thing that works to deter bad driver behavior;
    • Putting speed humps on one street will shift traffic onto another street;
    • Bicycle path near Washington Circle behind Washington Elementary is poorly maintained, has lots of trash, and graffiti is a problem;
    • Idea for schools or PTA to start and organize a rideshare program for students;
    • Request to use waterproof paint that is slip-resistant when installing high-visibility crosswalks;
    • Request to look into installing In-Roadway Warning Lights in crosswalks;
    • Request to add more pedestrian signs on Winona Ave;
    • Request to add marked crosswalks at Winona/Lamer;
    • Request to install No U-Turn sign at Lincoln/Washington Cir.;
    • Request to remove wayfinding sign on Glenoaks Blvd. directing people to use Winona to go to the Burbank Airport to reduce cut-through traffic; and
    • Request to send out meeting notice flyers to a larger radius.
  • The proposed improvements and community input received will be presented at a City Council meeting tentatively scheduled for November 13, 2018 at 6:00 PM at Burbank City Hall (275 E. Olive Ave.).

During the first week of May 2018, the City conducted Walk & Bicycle Safety Audits at all three Project area schools. Staff gathered interested groups of parents, residents, and community members to walk around the school sites to identify barriers and challenges for students walking and bicycling to and from school in order to better inform improvements to the project. Much of the feedback from these Audits was centered around high vehicular speeds and drivers rolling through stop signs.

Summary sheets of each of the three Audits are provided below:

On Thursday, April 26, 2018, the 1st Community Meeting for the Safe Routes to School Project was held at the City of Burbank Community Services Building. Staff provided an overview of the Project and sought community input. A summary of the meeting is listed below:

  • The goal of the Safe Routes to School Project is to encourage more students to walk and bicycle to school.
  • The Project is funded through a state Caltrans grant of about $490,000.
  • The Project will focus on traffic safety education for parents, students, BUSD administration, and residents. It could also include elements such as high-visibility crosswalks, pedestrian signage, bulb-outs or curb extensions, curb ramps, school speed zones, and "sharrows" (shared-lane markings) near the three school sites.
  • Approximately 10 community members attended the one hour and a half meeting.
  • Staff gave a presentation followed by a Question & Answer session.
  • Attendees expressed the following feedback:
    • Need for more law enforcement to ticket drivers;
    • Desire to promote more outreach meetings through social media or other mediums to include more residents' input;
    • Understanding the goal of curb extensions to reduce the crossing distance across the intersection;
    • Not being in favor of bicycle lanes on Kenneth Road;
    • Desire to see more pedestrian-focused improvements around the schools; and
    • Speeding as a prevalent issue along neighborhood streets.
  • The next Community Meeting is scheduled to take place in early fall 2018 where staff will present conceptual designs and provide a project update.

Contact Information

For more information on this project, please email [email protected] or call the main Transportation line at (818) 238-5290.