Councilor says Sioux Falls pedestrian safety proposal not aimed at panhandling

Four city councilors launched inaugural monthly press conference to discuss issues, concerns

A Sioux Falls city councilor plans to bring a pedestrian safety bill in March, aimed at what he says are more than a dozen dangerous intersections.

But the intersections that Councilor Curt Soehl has his sights on are also ones that often harbor panhandlers. And one of Soehl’s safety measures calls for eliminating signage held by people around those intersections.

But Soehl said his proposal has nothing to do with panhandling.

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“I’m an old public safety guy,” the retired firefighter said. “This is what this is about.”

Signs are an added distraction in the intersections, and people should not be camped out in those intersections, he added.

Soehl was one of four city councilors who hosted a press conference Tuesday in what they hope will be a monthly occurrence as the council seeks to put its own issues forward in the public light.

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