UM System president backs median ordinance, urges Columbia to take additional steps
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi says he is supporting the City of Columbia’s proposed median ordinance, but hopes to see other safety measures in place.
“I really do enjoy working with the mayor and she has been very supportive of the police department. But, we all recognize that there’s more support that’s needed, both financial support but also moral support,” Choi told ABC 17 News. “I want to see what comes of the ordinances, whether it’s the median ordinance that’s in the books or the illegal camping ordinance, whether the rest of city council believes in the need to improve public safety in the city.”
Public safety has been a focus of Choi’s after a downtown shooting on homecoming weekend left a Stephens College student dead. In September, he sent a letter to public officials, warning that if no action was taken, he would escalate the matter to Gov. Mike Kehoe. Two of the immediate action items he wanted taken focused on the city’s homeless population, including passing a loitering ordinance and cleaning out homeless encampments.
The proposed median ordinance has faced pushback from residents who view it as a “panhandling ordinance.” Opponents of similar measures, including the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, argued it could become a First Amendment rights issue.
On Nov. 17, the Columbia City Council postponed a vote after roughly 30 people spoke and most voiced their opposition, arguing it infringes on free speech and fails to address safety concerns; while only a few voiced support.
On Monday, City Manager De’Carlon Seewood emphasized that the ordinance was not targeting panhandling.
“The ordinance is not a panhandling ordinance. It is a public safety ordinance. And so it’s about making sure that people in our right-of-ways and our roadways are safe. And so that’s the goal,” Seewood told ABC 17 News. “We want to make sure that as drivers are driving around, as our residents are about, that people are safe.”
However, some city officials are pushing back against the ordinance. Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample told ABC 17 News in an email that she will not support the “pedestrian safety ordinance” as it is currently written.
“In my opinion, it is written as a median ordinance with some additional responsibilities and expectations for vehicle occupants. If the city is truly going to address pedestrian safety, this is not the way to do it, and I feel it is disingenuous to call it a ‘pedestrian safety ordinance,'” Sample wrote. “Additionally, I believe the city needs to work on clarifying legal definitions in currently existing ordinances, such as the current pedestrian ordinances, as they relate to blocking or obstructing the “roadway”.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission during its Nov. 19 meeting also voted to send a letter of opposition to the proposed ordinance to the City Council.
“My personal objection was mainly to the language making it illegal to be on a major roadway unless in a vehicle, the requirement to cross at an intersection, and also the exception that allows cars to pull over in the right lane to engage with someone on the sidewalk,” Commission Chair Elke Boyd told ABC 17 News on Monday.
If adopted, the ordinance will:
Prohibit crossing a major road anywhere except in a crosswalk, a pedestrian-control signal, or an intersection if those things aren’t available.
Prohibit being on a median fewer than 6 feet wide except when crossing the road.
Prohibit getting out of cars while in a traffic lane or within a major intersection.
Prohibit approaching cars on a major road unless the car is legally parked.
Prohibit people in vehicles from engaging with pedestrians at major intersections.