Two events in the 2025-2026 school year reshaped how officials at all levels are moving to protect students on city streets with youngsters and teens back in class.
The first was the death of 11-year-old Andrew Olsen last October, and the injuries suffered by his siblings after a car hit the trio. They were crossing Jackson Drive in San Carlos on the way to Pershing Middle School.
The second was a law passed by the state legislature making way for local cities to lower their speed limits in critical zones, an action that once was banned.
Lower speed limits – south to north
Subsequently, the San Diego City Council passed an ordinance lowering speed limits on 20% of the city’s streets, including school zones, business districts, places with a history of fatalities and those with high traffic from pedestrians and cyclists. The plan accounts for 679 miles of the city’s roads.
“There’s a lot to implement in the plan,” said city spokesperson Anthony Santacroce. “We think school zones are most important to implement first.”
Limits for the school zones will fall to 15-20 miles per hour around the schools, then 25 miles per hour in areas between 501 to 1000 feet away from schools.
The effort to implement that ordinance began in July, with signs now in place to reflect the lower speed limits near schools in San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Nestor.
The city is continuing to update signs, moving in a general south to north direction. In August, crews are adding new signs in Southeast San Diego, and parts of downtown and adjacent areas like Barrio Logan. The peninsula, too, may get its signs this month. The next goal, for September, will be parts of mid-city, including City Heights, North Park and College Area.
Although transportation crews may face delays due to anticipated El Niño storms, the general plan is for all school zone speeds to be updated by the end of the school year.
Once the school zones are finished, the city will decide what to prioritize next, among the fatal corridors, business districts and high-pedestrian-traffic areas.
“We are glad that the city took the Vision Zero coalition’s recommendation to prioritize reducing speeds in school zones first,” said Anar Salayev of Bike SD. “From there, we want to see similar treatments made on corridors that have a history of injuries and fatalities. Ultimately, we want to see material change made in these zones — beyond mere changes to speed limit signs.”
San Diego Unified’s survey
As the city worked on its plan to reduce speeds, the San Diego Unified School District began its own efforts to protect students traveling to and from school.
After Olsen’s death, Superintendent Fabi Bagula surveyed every principal in the district, asking for recommendations on how to improve student safety.
“We believe that (the) road is a part of overall student wellness. If they don’t feel safe in their commute to come to school, then we believe that impacts their wellness,” said her chief of staff Enrique Ruacho. “The safest road in any city should be the road to school.”
A few of the principals included in the survey, as well as parent organizations, had already advocated for road improvements with their city council members. Bringing their requested changes into a comprehensive plan helped individual principals throw the might of the school district behind discussions with the council offices.
“Too often, communities rely on their principals. Well, now you know they have the superintendent and our entire board focused on this issue,” Ruacho said.
In July, the school district released the results of its survey in a report detailing over 100 traffic safety improvement ideas near schools, which officials described as “specific, place-based and actionable.” The report included simple fixes, like repainting crosswalks, to more expensive interventions, like adding speed bumps or flashing lights at crosswalks.
“It has really created a stronger focus and a spotlight on improving traffic safety,” Ruacho said.
Parents have expressed appreciation for the survey – and added suggestions of their own.
One-fifth of those 107 suggestions are on school property, but the rest require coordination with the city. Some of those fixes, like repainting, are underway, but other changes, like adding a new crosswalk, require a traffic study by the city and design before work can take place.
“Those sort of requests take much longer,” Ruacho said. “The biggest roadblock is always going to be funding, especially as, much like the city, we’re experiencing tighter deficits that we have to grapple with.”
In Washington D.C., San Diego Unified lobbyists are pushing for the district to receive $2 million in funding to implement those changes. The most costly proposal would be a $750,000 concrete wall along the west side of Washington Elementary, in Little Italy, near an off-ramp.
Other ideas are less expensive, like $100,000 to light Foster Elementary’s parking lot in Allied Gardens and $50,000 to mark and add signs at a designated pick up/drop off spot at Cabrillo Elementary in Point Loma.
For now, the city transportation department is looking at the recommendations and seeing what is feasible.
“We’re step by step going through everything that they’ve recommended,” Santacroce said. “The ultimate goal is the safety of the children, the school children, and the members of the community who are in and around the school. The goal is safety. So there’s no ‘no’s.’ We’re evaluating everything.”
State response
Beyond this local movement, student safety is getting attention at the state level too. The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) launched its “ABCs for School Zone Safety” campaign, running throughout the month of August.
“Everyone can do their part to keep our young people safe by slowing down in school zones and driving with extra caution where children are present,” said Caltrans director Dina El-Tawansy in a statement. “These conscientious driving habits protect students on foot and those on bikes, helping them arrive to class and return home safely.”
The week school started, the California Highway Patrol stepped up enforcement of traffic laws in school zones. In addition, the CHP received funding to boost enforcement near school bus stops.
San Diego police also have begun enforcing speed limits in school zones, particularly around schools where there have been complaints about unsafe driving, according to Motors Unit Lt. Jared Wilson.
E-bikes come under scrutiny
And while these efforts are largely focused on drivers being aware and taking precautions, officials are also looking to improve young people’s safety by passing e-bike rules.
San Diego is among several cities that, among other regulations, banned class 1 and 2 e-bikes for kids under age 12. They went into effect on Aug. 13, three days after school started.
Councilmember Raul Campillo has rolled out an e-bike education and outreach program with San Diego Unified, San Diego police and Girl Scout Troop 4343.
The district’s Assistant Police Chief Manny Del Toro said school police would monitor students to make sure they are following the ordinance.
Officials hope each effort adds up to bolster student safety.
“Every parent wants their child to be safe going to school and at school and coming back from school,” Ruacho said.
