Pedestrians will no longer be allowed to solicit donations or hang out at two more Arnold intersections – Hwy. 141 at Astra Way and Hwy. 141 at Lone Star Drive.
City Council members recently added those intersections to a list of others where pedestrians are prohibited from remaining in the roadway or in medians and from approaching vehicles.
Arnold officials previously decided to limit access to 16 intersections in March 2022, allowing people to cross the roads at designated crosswalks but not to hang out at those locations.
“Both of these (last two) intersections are considered high-traffic areas,” Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said. “After examining the traffic flow at both locations, our department felt it was necessary to add the intersections for the safety of our pedestrians and motorists traveling at these locations.”
City Council members voted 7-0 on Dec. 5 to prohibit people from standing around or approaching vehicles at the Hwy. 141 and Astra Way and Hwy. 141 and Lone Star Drive intersections. Ward 1 Councilman Jason Fulbright was absent from the meeting.
The ban is intended to prevent people or groups from blocking intersections, unless they are engaging in law enforcement or emergency or rescue activities or repairing or performing maintenance on the road. People also may be at the intersections on the list if they’re closed for a special event.
The rule also was designed to prohibit people from hanging around the intersections to approach a vehicle to give or collect something from a driver or passenger, which prevents people from collecting money for charitable organizations at the intersections.
However, the rule allows people to gather on the sides of the roads near the intersections and direct drivers to a nearby parking lot or other location to donate money to a cause or attend an event.
The other intersections that previously were placed on the list include Hwy. 141 and Jeffco Boulevard; Hwy. 141 and I-55; Hwy. 141 and Old Lemay Ferry Road/West Outer Road; Richardson Road and I-55; Vogel Road and West Outer Road; Richardson Road and St. Johns Church Road; Jeffco Boulevard and Richardson Road; Jeffco Boulevard and Church Road; Jeffco Boulevard and Arnold Tenbrook Road; Jeffco Boulevard and Michigan Avenue/Ridgecrest Drive; Jeffco Boulevard and Tenbrook Road; Jeffco Boulevard and Starling Airport Road; Old Lemay Ferry Road and Arnold Commons Drive; Church Road and Old Lemay Ferry Road; and Old Lemay Ferry Road and Arnold Commons Drive.
When the intersection rule was first put in place, City Administrator Bryan Richison said those who remain in one of the intersections could receive a citation, and the Arnold Municipal Court could order the person to spend up to 90 days in jail and/or pay a fine of up to $500.
“Our officers are asked to enforce this ordinance while on patrol and when our agency receives a call for a subject at the intersection for an extended period of time,” Carroll said. “Since the main goal here is compliance, officers typically inform the pedestrian of the ordinance and ask the subject to move from the intersection. We find that educating our pedestrians on the safety aspects of this ordinance works the majority of the time and additional enforcement measures are not necessary.”