Panhandling in Dallas could lead to $500 ticket

DALLAS — Editor’s Note: The video above is said to an October 2022 story about lethal pedestrian crashes.

There will now be elements of Dallas the place panhandling could lead to a $500 fantastic.

Wednesday, Dallas City Council approved two ordinances that bans folks from asking for cash in sure areas of the town.

One of those new ordinances bans pedestrians from medians which are lower than six ft vast or in the center of a road that does not have a median. The different ordinance permits metropolis marshals to hand out citations to pedestrians violating the primary ordinance.

If somebody is panhandling in these conditions, it could value up to $500 in fines.

City council members voted 14-1 in favor of those modifications. Many on the council referred to as these ordinances as a step in the direction of fixing a “public safety issue.”

This agenda merchandise from Wednesday’s assembly learn as follows:

“An ordinance amending Chapter 28, ‘Motor Vehicles and Traffic,’ of the Dallas City Code by adding Section 28-61.1. ‘Standing and Walking in Certain Areas Prohibited’ (1) prohibiting standing and walking on medians measuring six feet or less in width, where no medians exist, or in an area designated as a clear zone; (2) providing a penalty not to exceed $500.00; (3) providing a saving clause; (4) providing a severability clause; and (5) providing an effective date – Financing: This action has no cost consideration to the City (see Fiscal Information).”

Earlier in October, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) introduced pedestrian site visitors deaths had elevated by 15% in Texas in 2021. The state noticed 5,366 site visitors crashes involving pedestrians final yr, which resulted in 841 deaths and 1,470 different severe accidents.

A report revealed by the City of Dallas Auditor’s Office in June gave suggestions on how to enhance pedestrian security and the place the town has been falling quick.

The metropolis and the Dallas Department of Transportation had undertaken applications to enhance pedestrian security and have a aim with a brand new plan, Vision Zero, to get rid of site visitors fatalities and scale back extreme accidents by 50% by 2030.