Marana residents map out concerns in traffic safety meeting | Community

MARANA, Ariz. — Town of Marana leaders are asking community members to help increase local traffic safety.

Marana officials held a public forum on Tuesday night to gather feedback on road safety in the Gladden Farms area. The meeting follows the death of an 11-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a driver on Thursday, Aug. 20.

The forum at Tangerine Farms K-8 school featured a unique setup where residents could interact directly with maps of the area. Instead of a standard town hall format, officials spread maps across the gymnasium, allowing community members to draw directly on them and voice concerns to nearby officials.

Residents used sticky notes to mark specific trouble spots, including areas where motorists do not stop for pedestrians and sections where cars travel too fast. Some parents and children also marked the exact routes they use to get to school.

“The tragedy that took place on August 20 is just unimaginable,” Marana Mayor Jon Post said. “The Town of Marana is trying to figure out how to make sure that this doesn’t happen again in our community.”

Post explained that identifying the most common crossing points will help the town determine whether to install traffic signals or recruit more volunteers. For residents who could not attend the meeting, the town is utilizing a QR code that allows families to trace their routes and submit feedback digitally.

“I’m just really grateful for the Town of Marana really stepping forward and helping bring the community together so that we can avoid a tragedy like this in the future,” Gladden Farms Community Manager Vanessa Lopez said.

Town officials plan to analyze the collected data to identify patterns in how students travel to and from school. After that, they plan to use that data to determine safety efforts in the area.