The School Pedestrian Safety Workgroup, established by the Prince George’s County Council, presented its final findings and recommendations of 2024 to the Council on Friday, December 13th, after five months of collaboration and problem solving. The Workgroup was created in April 2024 when the Council adopted a resolution proposed by Council Member Wanika Fisher (District 2) following the tragic deaths of multiple students. The Workgroup began meeting in July, crafting a list of more than a dozen recommendations for the state, county, local municipalities, and Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), with the goal of creating a safer and more walkable community around schools, while reducing traffic accidents and deaths involving pedestrians.

The recommendations include both short-, medium-, and long-term goals and measures. They were drafted by Workgroup members, including Council Members Fisher and Eric Olson (District 3); PGCPS leadership, parents, and students; Prince George’s County Board of Education members; and representatives from the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation, Prince George’s County Police Department, and multiple municipalities. 

The list of 18 recommendations includes:

• Reducing speed limits around schools
• Closing streets or restricting traffic around schools during drop off and pick up times
• Improving education in the community surrounding school pedestrian safety 
• Requiring developers for future school projects to gather input from PGCPS and meet pedestrian safety requirements
• Establishing and conducting a “walk audit” throughout the county to standardize data across departments and identify areas of concern 
• Holding proactive meetings between local, county, and state agencies to identify potential problems and develop solutions
• Creating objective criteria to assess pedestrian risk while setting safety goals and objectives

“I am so grateful to all the members of the Workgroup, who provided their knowledge, expertise, hard work, and ingenuity to develop these recommendations for improving pedestrian safety around schools,” said Council Member Fisher. “I am confident that these solutions will have a positive impact on the well-being of children attending Prince George's County Public Schools and will significantly enrich the quality of life for all county residents. I look forward to seeing all entities work together to put these recommendations into action.”

For more information about the School Pedestrian Safety Workgroup, or to view the full report, click here.