Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Greensboro reinforces safety ordinance with new signage

Greensboro officials installed the new safety signs in several locations throughout the city over the past week. KERI BROWN/ WFDD File

The City of Greensboro installed new signs at busy intersections to help prevent panhandling or loitering in these areas. Advocates for the homeless say the signs are discriminatory.

Greensboro is reinforcing a safety ordinance that's been on the books.

The law prohibits standing, sitting, or lying down on the portion of a traffic island that is less than six feet wide, except when using the traffic island to cross the street or during an emergency.

The city has placed small stickers at several busy intersections, but officials say those are largely being ignored.

Twenty-nine of the diamond-shaped signs are now in place at several locations. They say “no standing or sitting anytime” and include the city's municipal ordinance number. Greensboro officials say the signs aren't targeted at panhandlers and are meant as a safety measure for drivers and pedestrians as traffic continues to grow.

"We don't want folks standing on busy intersections like this because of the safety concerns," says Chris Spencer, the transportation and engineering manager for the city. "It isn't about panhandling. If you read the ordinance it's a section that talks about obstructions, blocking traffic and other issues."

Kristina Singleton disagrees. She is the executive director of the Interactive Resource Center in Greensboro, a day resource center that serves the homeless. 

“I feel like it's exclusionary signage," says Singleton. "The time and resources would be better spent on focusing on affordable housing and to me, the signage feels more about fighting the poor instead of fighting poverty in our community.”

City officials say they will monitor the sites and more will be added if needed.  

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate