(KAIR)--Permanent all way stops are approved, and additional enhancements in the name of pedestrian safety are forthcoming, following action made Monday by the Atchison City Commission.

The current temporary stop-signs, which stand at the intersections of 5th and Santa Fe and 6th and Santa Fe, were implemented by the Commission at the start of the year. Failing to be made permanent in June by the Commission, a public push, followed by a meeting between City and USD 409 officials in July, kept the issue in the spotlight, leading to Monday's approval.

The stop signs stand in the area of the Atchison Middle School, and Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson during Monday's meeting outlined another plan for visibility to make motorists aware of young pedestrians in another location near the school. “It's kind of a unique approach,” Wilson told the Commissioners as he outlined the goal for added visibility. “There's just a lot of traffic, not only of pedestrians and students, but of the vehicles going up and down. Public Works is going to next week paint that entire intersection, between those crosswalks, green with a pedestrian type sign that's in the middle of it. In other words, it's drawing attention: this is a crosswalk.”

The high profile crosswalks at both 5th and Atchison and 6th and Atchison didn't need Commission approval due to cost.

Requiring approval was a change in the speed limit in that same vicinity.

The recent discussion between the city and school leaders led to the proposal of changing from 30 mph to 20 mph the speed limit on 5th Street and 6th Street between Kansas Avenue and Atchison Street.

That change gained commission approval.

Assistant City Manager Justin Pregont told MSC News all components of the approved safety plan will either be installed, or at least begun, within the next two weeks.

Approval came on a vote of 3-2, with Commissioners Charlie Perdue and Dave Butler, following lengthy discussion, saying no to the changes.