Mayor Randall Woodfin and the City of Birmingham have unveiled the next phase of the Safe Streets: Eastlake initiative, a plan to reduce crime and improve safety in city neighborhoods by using barriers to close off certain roadways.
While some residents have complained about the extra blocks they now must drive to get in and out of Eastlake, city officials say that the pilot program has been a marked success—reducing gunshots detected on ShotSpotter by 25 percent while calls for emergency services dropped by 22 percent in the program’s first year. Now, the city is investing to make the Safe Streets barriers permanent while also adding “beautification enhancements” to increase curb appeal for residents.
Through a $372,000 contract awarded to Gillespie Construction, LLC, the next phase of the Safe Streets initiative will replace the current temporary concrete barriers in Eastlake with permanent curbs adorned with trees and five-foot bike paths to “discourage cut-through traffic and make the space more accessible for the neighbors living in the community.” The city will also continue to maintain the speed bumps and stop signs added to the neighborhood during the pilot program.
Additionally, the city has reported that alleyways allowing easy access to the back of homes “have been secured” and that abandoned properties in the neighborhood “have been earmarked and are being aggressively addressed” as officials look to further reduce crime in the area.
“This data-informed effort follows a trend of other cities across the country, many of which have found success in crime reduction,” a city press release stated Thursday.
With the program’s success in Eastlake, the mayor’s office has indicated that they will now look to expand the Safe Street initiative in other neighborhoods across the city.
