DES MOINES, Iowa -- Des Moines City Council votes unanimously on new restrictions on panhandling.
This time, Des Moines City Council members say it's all about pedestrian safety as opposed to violating free speech.
The new ordinance involves 200 intersections in the city of Des Moines where now no one can stand, sit, or stay at the median.
One of those hundreds of intersections is Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Ingersoll Avenue. It's a popular spot for panhandlers.
"Let's go ahead and see if there's anyone to speak on this item. Again, these are medians regarding pedestrian safety,” Mayor Frank Cownie said at the city council meeting Monday night. “I'm seeing none,” Cownie responded after there were no citizens there to speak on the item.
It didn’t take long for the city council to vote in this new ordinance, one that's based strictly on pedestrian safety.
The new ordinance states that standing, sitting and staying at any intersection where streets have a speed limit of 30 mph or higher and have a median that is smaller than six feet wide is prohibited.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, 50-percent of pedestrians who are struck by a vehicle traveling at 30 mph are killed.
Council members say the ordinance could eventually expand to include other intersections.
This ordinance will start being enforced in 17 days. Coleman says the city council and police are working together on this issue.
According to WHO Channel 13, the threat of a free speech lawsuit convinced Des Moines leaders to scrap a panhandling ordinance last year.