Traffic safety is something that the city council is discussing looking into following a Saturday incident on Falconer Street. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

Pedestrian and traffic safety is on the minds of council members following an incident Saturday night on Falconer Street.

Jamestown police reported Monday that they responded to a call at 6:08 p.m. Saturday for a car-pedestrian accident on Falconer Street near Bowen Street, where a Jamestown man was hit by a vehicle and later passed away from his injuries. The operator of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation and police are still looking for video footage and asking residents of the area near Lillian Dickson Park to contact them if they have any.

During Monday’s city council work session, Councilman Daniel Gonzalez, D-At Large and chair of the public works committee, brought up the possibility of ways to increase public safety, which was discussed during the public works committee meeting.

“We also discussed a little bit about increasing lighting around city parks as possible things for the future to be considered and we also talked about speed zones around schools and parks,” Gonzalez said. “That is something we are looking at for how we can improve public safety in that regard from a public works perspective.”

The idea of traffic safety was also discussed during the public safety committee meeting. Safety within school zones was discussed at that meeting as well, as City Council President, Regina Brackman, D-Ward 3, said there has been considerable discussion around these kinds of concerns. Gonzalez had also spoken with Brackman before Monday’s meeting about people approaching him with these concerns, she said.

“I told him I said on Buffalo Street we have at least three different speed zones that go 20, then 25, then 30 through that whole section where the school is at,” Brackman said. “I think there is some public concern; I haven’t been told, Daniel was talking to me about it, in regards to how we can regulate that better to ensure safety.”

Between the schools and parks, Brackman said there seems to be concerns that people are not adhering to the speed limits and it is not being regulated. The Falconer Street accident also is prompting a lot of input from the public, she added. Helping to ensure safety in these areas is something that was said at both the public safety meeting and overall work session that the city council will be looking into.