Gresham Police Increase Traffic Safety Enforcement Around Schools

GRESHAM, OR — Routes to Gresham's schools will be safer through the end of the school year thanks to a grant from the Safe Routes to School organization. Beginning immediately, the Gresham Police Department will increase its traffic division enforcement around school zones to ensure the safety of all children and pedestrians using Gresham's roads.

The increase in enforcement was made possible by a grant from Safe Routes to School, a federally funded safety organization dedicated to improving access to walking and biking options by making strategic infrastructure and public safety investments, in coordination with local school districts and municipal government agencies.

The grant recently awarded to Gresham will pay for additional law enforcement personnel to carry out the Safe Routes mission.

Gresham officers will reportedly focus on student pick-up and drop-off locations and crosswalks around Hall, East Gresham, and North Gresham elementary schools. According to Gresham police authorities, "Drivers who are identified as breaking laws will be stopped and may receive a citation in addition to an educational pamphlet."

In accordance with Oregon's school zone laws, Gresham authorities remind drivers to "obey posted speed limits, including the posted 20 mph zones near local schools during the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. … (and) yield to pedestrians crossing streets within marked and unmarked crosswalks, stopping their vehicle before the solid white line when a crosswalk is in use and before reaching a stop sign."

Additionally, pedestrians are asked to pay attention to traffic laws as well by complying with posted signs while remaining alert to their surroundings and using crosswalks correctly.

Oregon House Bill 2017, also called the "Keep Oregon Moving" bill, will raise $5.3 billion over the next 10 years to repair and improve the state's transportation infrastructure. That includes Safe Routes to School investments equaling $10 million per year across the state — which will increase to $15 million per year by 2023.

The city of Gresham is also slated to receive an additional $2.5 million from HB 2017.

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