Long-awaited revisions to a proposed Springfield ordinance dealing with people standing in medians and at busy intersections, asking for money, have finally been introduced.
The new proposal seeks to make clear that the city is trying to regulate the practice on public safety grounds, and not to infringe on someone’s First Amendment right to ask people for money.
The new language prohibits pedestrians from sitting or standing at 16 specific intersections, including the entrances to the north-end Walmart and to Parkway Pointe, but also includes catch-all language covering any intersection on a divided highway with traffic signals. Aldermen could take up the measure later this month.
Pedestrian-Ordinance-July-2022
