Mayor Ginther, Supt. Chapman Launch Traffic Safety Awareness Week
Published on April 20, 2026
For Immediate Release
April 20, 2026
Contact
T.R. Massey, Office of the Mayor, 614-645-6456 (office); 614-616-4825 (cell)
Debbie Briner, (614) 645-6467; dsbriner@columbus.gov
Michael S. Brown, 380-997-1819, mbrown11@columbus.k12.oh.us
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Columbus City Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman kicked off the district’s Traffic Safety Awareness Week today at Hilltonia Middle School, where students demonstrated use of a new signalized crosswalk installed by the city to alert and stop drivers on W. Mound Street when students and others prepare to cross the street.
Through Columbus City Schools’ partnership with Vision Zero Columbus, the city’s program to end all crash deaths on city streets by 2035, the district hosts Traffic Safety Awareness Week annually with various events in schools. From April 20-24, students will engage in traffic safety curricula and activities that promote Vision Zero principles and a culture of traffic safety.
“We cannot achieve our goal of zero fatal crashes on our city streets without dedicated partners like Columbus City Schools,” said Mayor Ginther. “Engaging students in Traffic Safety Awareness Week activities helps to build a generation of safe habits and a culture focused on traffic safety for all, whether you get around Columbus by foot, bike, car or bus. These students can be exceptional role models to their families, friends and community to put safety first.”
“We are proud to partner with the City of Columbus and Mayor Ginther as we work to keep our students safe on the way to and from school each day,” said Supt. Dr. Chapman. “Protecting children is everybody’s responsibility, and we are united in asking drivers to slow down and pay attention in neighborhoods and school zones. We also are taking these lessons into the classroom so we can all do our parts in reducing crashes and injuries.”
The Department of Public Service, the city’s Vision Zero leader, installed the new push-button crosswalk signal next to Hilltonia Middle School on W. Mound Street as part of a larger safety improvements project. The street was resurfaced and restriped from four lanes to one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane between Central and Wayne avenues.
Similar lane modifications made on other city street corridors that are on the Vision Zero High Injury Network, such as E. Livingston Avenue, E. Broad Street and Sullivant Avenue, have demonstrated reductions in crashes and driver speeds, notably in extreme speeds of 55 mph or more that decreased by at least 90%.
“The city is transforming our transportation infrastructure to prioritize safety above all else,” said Public Service Director Kelly Scocco. “Vision Zero strategies that include education and awareness efforts like Columbus City Schools’ Traffic Safety Awareness Week will help to move us toward zero traffic deaths.”
The city remains committed to making capital investments and aggressively pursuing state and federal safety grants that will expand infrastructure supporting safe walking and biking. Vision Zero Columbus recently was awarded a grant to develop a Vulnerable Road User Safety Plan, including a new Columbus City Schools districtwide Safe Routes to School Travel Plan, to help guide new infrastructure that encourages students to walk and bike to school.
Capital investment projects to support pedestrian safety include recent construction of sidewalks along Grace Street where West Broad Elementary School is located, and along Refugee Road by Independence High School.
During Traffic Safety Awareness Week, the school district and the Columbus Division of Police, also a Vision Zero partner, will promote reduced speeds by drivers in school zones, especially those located on the High Injury Network, where there is a higher incidence of serious and fatal crashes or those that involve vulnerable road users like people walking, biking or on a motorcycle.
Other partners including Columbus Public Health, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Ohio Traffic Safety Office are participating in the school district’s Traffic Safety Awareness Week education.
Columbus City Schools will implement additional traffic safety education efforts and activities in October 2026 and plans to continue to expand school participation in Traffic Safety Awareness Week each year.
About the City of Columbus
Columbus is the 15th largest city in the United States and one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the Midwest. With a diverse economy and strong neighborhoods, Columbus is nationally recognized for its affordability, quality of life and proactive approach to fostering growth to benefit all residents. Under Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s leadership, Columbus is building an equitable and prosperous future as America’s Opportunity City.
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