By Scott Johnson

There has been a myopic vision of long-standing, (former) City officials, as well as a problem with the excessive turnover on Council, as it pertains to public pedestrian safety on our residential side streets. 

Having been a crusader on this subject 15 years ago after 10 year old Stevie Schroder was a victim of vehicular homicide by a careless motorist on Garrison, a cut through street, I spent countless hours over a year with Council and its Public Safety Committee just trying to get simple speed limit and Children at Play signs on West Southgate, a cut through street which had no signs. Our premise was that the public awareness campaign of adequate signage, along with stepped up side street Police patrols, would improve the situation, although it would not eliminate the risk altogether.

Unlike the current Stealthstat, (monitor strapped to phone pole) study on Trinity, we did have something like 10% of traffic, over 100 cars, driving over the posted limit of  25, some up to 35 – 40 mph!  Also frustrating at the time, the then Police Administration informed us that because of reasonable doubt issues, they really had to allow 10mph over the limit, or 35 mph on a residential side street.  So we persuaded the City to drop the limit to 20 mph, hoping for a reality of keeping it under 30 mph.

Based on this experience, I can tell you that when the traffic engineer does his study on Trinity at some low-volume time of day, he will find no problem or safety risk according to textbook standards.  Despite this pending traffic engineer smack down, common sense observation during peak times will demand that residential side streets carry a 20 mph limit.  It’s called applied risk management and simple regard for human life, especially that of children.

Mr. Bowman would not know about the educational year-long dialogue with then Councilman Jim Doepker’s Public Safety Committee, (that the City had large pockets without signs) but Councilman Peterman and Mayor Haas were present.   Been there.  Done that. Disregard for public safety, particularly that of children, is a Fort Thomas fact of life.

As for former Mayor Brown’s comment that pedestrian safety, particularly that of children, is not the City’s “table”, but purely a parent responsibility, this comment is symptomatic of how myopic, cold and irresponsible we have been on this issue.  Of course kids should not play in the street, but name me the parent that can or should hover over children 100% of the time, especially when playing in one our picturesque Fort Thomas neighbors?  Besides, should children be able to safely cross the street without a motorist, who has reduced their critical reaction time and visibility by driving too fast for the conditions, (i.e. “Children at Play”) risk or take their life because they were behaving as a kid?  Are we really trying to defend vehicular homicide by putting public safety strictly onto parents, giving both motorists and the City a pass?

The solution is to post 20 mph on ALL residential side streets, along with Children at Play signs, while our having our Police engage in risk management by patrolling high child mortality risk side streets, instead of low risk roads like Memorial Pky and I-471.

Scott Johnson. Provided. 

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