10-04-2025
Lima's Smith joins pedestrian safety program
Apr. 9—LIMA — Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith announced she will join a cohort of 12 mayors from across the country for a national pedestrian safety leadership program.
The mayor will join the 2025 Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety for the Mayors Innovation Project to learn best practices and hear from peers about how to design streets to increase pedestrian safety.
"It's a series with a two-day, in-person workshop in Washington D.C., and then there is a series of virtual workshops that we are participating in over a number of weeks," Smith said. "Smart Growth America sponsors this, so it will not have a direct cost on the city's budget."
The institute will see participants work alongside national experts and fellow mayors to address safety challenges over six months.
Smart Growth America Director of Transportation for America Beth Osborne called the institute essential through the city.
"Whether you're a business owner or the parent of young child, safety is absolutely fundamental to thriving communities," she said in a press release. "Mayors are essential to this work and we are eager to work with this year's cohort to share and implement more of what we know creates safer, more vibrant communities for all."
Smith tied the work of the program to the city's traffic calming efforts.
"It's timely for us because we have a number of transportation improvement projects in the pipeline," she said. "With respect to our neighborhood traffic calming program that we're working on, the transportation improvement projects through (Lima/Allen County) Regional Planning and the improvements that we're looking at for Cable Road, city engineer Ian Kohli and I are taking advantage of this opportunity to learn how we can continue to design our streets in a way that we put pedestrian safety above car mobility in Lima."
Other cities represented in the cohort include Alameda, Calif.; Brevard, N.C.; Evertett, Wash.; Alton, Ill.; Lauderhill, Fla.; Tigard, Ore.; Superior, Wis.; Lansing, Mich.; Little Rock, Ark.; Brockton, Mass.; and Williamsport, Penn.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
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