Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor walks family to school to learn about safety of their route
O’Connor joined children on their walk to school in Squirrel Hill to assess safety concerns along their route.
WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T. OH WOW. HERE WE ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBLEM, MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR’S FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS ON HIS FIRST DAY ON THE JOB. WALK WITH SOME KIDS TO SCHOOL AND SEE HOW SAFE THEIR ROUTE REALLY IS. TROUBLES COME WHEN WE GET TO THE INTERSECTION. YES, ESPECIALLY THIS ONE RIGHT HERE. THE KIDS WERE REALLY EXCITED THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST THING HE WAS DOING IN OFFICE, WAS WALKING THEM TO SCHOOL. IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE HE REALLY VALUES HIS CONSTITUENTS AND THE FAMILIES IN PITTSBURGH, AND WANTS TO HELP US GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL SAFELY. MOLLY’S SONS, WHO ARE EIGHT AND TEN, WALKED TO COLFAX, K, THROUGH EIGHT EVERY DAY FOR HER. SHE DOES HAVE SOME CONCERNS WHEN IT COMES TO THEM MAKING THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL SAFELY. AND THE THING WE WORRY ABOUT MOST IS THE INTERSECTION AT DOUGLAS AND BEECHWOOD. THERE’S NO CROSSING GUARD THERE. THEY DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF LOOKING. IT’S SOME OF THE SMALLER STREETS, BUT THESE BIGGER ONES WITH SCHOOL BUSSES, A LOT OF PARENTS TRYING TO QUICKLY GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL. THAT INTERSECTION MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS. AND TODAY WAS HER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NEW MAYOR TO HEAR HER FAMILY OUT. THEY, YOU KNOW, EXPLAIN WHAT CROSSWALKS ARE, ARE BARRIERS AND WHEN THERE’S CONSTRUCTION, HOW THEY HAVE TO KIND OF JUMP OVER SOME THINGS. AND I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW. BUT THIS ISN’T THE ONLY WALK O’CONNOR PLANS TO TAKE. FOR HIM, IT’S THE FIRST OF MANY MOVING FORWARD. THERE’S SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU’RE CROSSING, THERE AREN’T EVEN SIDEWALKS. SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S DIFFERENT IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT IT’S GOOD TO HEAR WHAT THE BARRIERS ARE AROUND, ESPECIALLY YOUNG KIDS WHEN THEY’RE WALKING TO SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE MAKE IT BETTER FOR THEM? MAYOR O’CONNOR HAS A PLETHORA OF ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED FOR HIS FIRST OFFICIAL DAY IN THE OFFICE. OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THAT HERE AND ONLINE@WTAE.COM FOR NOW, COVERING A
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor walks family to school to learn about safety of their route
O’Connor joined children on their walk to school in Squirrel Hill to assess safety concerns along their route.
Updated: 2:51 PM EST Jan 6, 2026
Mayor Corey O’Connor began his first day in office by walking with children and their parents to school in Squirrel Hill to evaluate the safety of their route. “The thing we worry about most is the intersection at Douglas and Beechwood. There’s no crossing guard there,” said Molly, a parent whose sons, ages 8 and 10, walk to Colfax K-8 daily. “They do a really good job of looking at some of the smaller streets, but these bigger ones with school buses, a lot of parents trying to quickly get their kids to school — that intersection makes me a little bit nervous.”O’Connor listened to the concerns.”They explained what crosswalks are barriers, and when there’s construction, how they have to kind of jump over some things, and I think that’s important for us to know,” he said.This is not the only walk O’Connor plans to take. He says neighborhoods all over the city deal with issues, and he wants to continue to hear from residents. “There’s somewhere, when you’re crossing, there aren’t even sidewalks. So it’s different in every neighborhood. But it’s good to hear what the barriers are around, especially young kids when they’re walking to school. How do we make it better for them?”
PITTSBURGH —
Mayor Corey O’Connor began his first day in office by walking with children and their parents to school in Squirrel Hill to evaluate the safety of their route.
“The thing we worry about most is the intersection at Douglas and Beechwood. There’s no crossing guard there,” said Molly, a parent whose sons, ages 8 and 10, walk to Colfax K-8 daily. “They do a really good job of looking at some of the smaller streets, but these bigger ones with school buses, a lot of parents trying to quickly get their kids to school — that intersection makes me a little bit nervous.”
O’Connor listened to the concerns.
“They explained what crosswalks are barriers, and when there’s construction, how they have to kind of jump over some things, and I think that’s important for us to know,” he said.
This is not the only walk O’Connor plans to take. He says neighborhoods all over the city deal with issues, and he wants to continue to hear from residents.
“There’s somewhere, when you’re crossing, there aren’t even sidewalks. So it’s different in every neighborhood. But it’s good to hear what the barriers are around, especially young kids when they’re walking to school. How do we make it better for them?”