Safety improvements lag near schools

Nearly three dozen of Los Angeles' most dangerous street crossings for schoolchildren have not yet received safety improvements even though the city has had funding for the work for years. Brandpn Lowrey in the Daily News.

While 33 crossings near schools have been identified as hazardous and targeted for upgrades since 2003, only one-third have even been scheduled for work, according to transportation officials.

The backlog comes even as the city has racked up at least $3.8 million in grants for the projects under a special program aimed at boosting security for children.

"What's more important than to make sure kids have safe entrance and egress to the place our kids are going every day, five days a week?" said Robert Fellmeth, founder of the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law.