Topeka’s city government will ban pedestrians — including panhandlers — from interacting with people in vehicles at 23 of Topeka’s most dangerous intersections, though not at any other crossings.
City council members voted 8-1 Tuesday evening to approve an ordinance putting those rules in place.
Council members Sandra Clear, Sylvia Ortiz, Tony Emerson, Mike Padilla, Brendan Jensen, Neil Dobler, Jeff Coen and Mike Lesser voted in favor of the proposal. Councilwoman Karen Hiller voted against it.
Hiller said she couldn’t support the ordinance because she questioned whether it would really “advance anything” in terms of safety. She said she wasn’t aware of panhandling having been responsible for crashes at any of the intersections listed on the proposal approved Tuesday.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)