Springfield Standard

Driver compliance at Springfield crosswalks has decreased to 49% across Springfield, according to first quarter crosswalk compliance assessments conducted by the City’s SGF Yields pedestrian safety program. That is down from 51% compliance compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 and a four percentage point decrease compared to last year’s summer months.

“While Springfield has come a long way in crosswalk safety, we are still not where we need to be,” explains Traffic Safety Professional Mandy Buettgen-Quinn. “Drivers should be stopping 100% of the time when a pedestrian is waiting three feet from a crosswalk – but the reality is, only a little less than half of drivers are giving pedestrians the right-of-way and about half our pedestrian-involved crashes occur in crosswalks. We want pedestrians to stop crossing at random locations, we need to make sure our crosswalks are safe and respected. That is why we are excited to bring back crosswalk enforcement in partnership with the Springfield Police Department.”

Funded through a $21,120 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation that funds overtime-based enforcement for hazardous moving violations, the Springfield Police Department, in partnership with SGF Yields, will conduct weekly driver Yield Checks at well-marked crosswalk locations. The goal of the exercise is to further increase our local yielding rate at crosswalks through education-focused high-visibility enforcement, making our community more pedestrian-friendly.

“Starting April 17, decoy officers will conduct weekly high-visibility crosswalk enforcement. The locations will be announced ahead of time and a ‘crosswalk enforcement ahead’ sign will be placed ahead of the enforcement site,” says Buettgen-Quinn. “For the first four weeks, only warnings will be given out. We give drivers plenty notice because the Yield Checks’ main objective is to change driver habits through public education. However, unfortunately, some people will not change their ways unless it hits their pocketbooks.”

Three police officers will station themselves at a designated crosswalk location for approximately four hours, monitoring for driver compliance. One officer will act as a decoy pedestrian, a second will function as a spotter, and a third will be in a patrol car, ready to stop those who do not properly yield to the pedestrian. Posted signage will alert drivers that they are approaching a Yield Check location. Those who are stopped will be provided a warning and educational materials. After a warning period of one month, drivers may receive citations for blatant violations. Officers may also address any pedestrians that do not follow regulations and put themselves or others at risk.

The public will be notified of upcoming Crosswalk Yield Check locations in advance via news release and social media. Results of the exercise will also be reported to the public. Crosswalk Yield Check locations are determined by Springfield Public Works and Springfield Police Department with guidance and input from citizens through the SGF Yields Citizen Action Group.

Quarterly crosswalk assessments have been conducted by Springfield Public Works Traffic Operations division since 2017. Assessments evaluate driver compliance at six crosswalk sites with similar traffic speeds and characteristics. Two locations are studied each quarter as a control group. The remaining sites are selected from each of the four City Council zones. Results from each location are averaged to produce a snapshot of driver compliance across the city.

Springfield’s crosswalk compliance average in 2017 began with only 25% of drivers yielding. Since then, efforts in public education, crosswalk improvements, amendments to local crosswalk regulations, and crosswalk enforcement “Yield Checks” have made an impact on local driving habits. Crosswalk improvements included the construction of pedestrian refuge medians, raised crosswalks, and installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at multiple crosswalks.