TULSA, Okla. — Last September, a fatal accident involving a person standing on a narrow median at 71st and Yale sparked a discussion about changes for safety purposes.
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Fast forward to September 2025, a new ordinance just signed by Mayor Monroe Nichols, aimed at preventing those tragedies.
"They're not complaints, they're really worries, if you will," Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin said. "Relating to those people sitting out in the middle of a roadway, with 40 mph traffic on one side, 40 mph on the other."
Lakin, a sponsor of the ordinance, tells 2 News it's a safety issue. Beginning Oct. 18, it'll be illegal to be on a narrow median, defined as an area with less than 18 inches between you and a road, with a speed limit over 25 miles an hour.
The medians can still be used, but only 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. This only applies if you're 16 years or older and have on reflective clothing.
"Really, what we're going to respond to are going to mostly be calls from citizens," Tulsa Police Captain Richard Meulenberg said. "We will not establish an entire unit to handle these problems."
Meulenberg says the hope isn't to write a bunch of tickets.
"For us, we're going to use warnings and education simultaneously," Meulenberg said. "More often than not, we're going to advise people that you can't stand here, you can't do this here. Please stop. And what we've found is that's very successful, and people go about their day."
One concern we covered when the ordinance was proposed in August is a potential spotlight on the homeless or panhandlers.
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Lakin disagrees.
"It's safety for everybody," Lakin said. "If my kids were still of age, I don't want them standing out holding signs for a charitable fundraiser in the middle of the street, because I don't think that's safe."
And like a lot of ordinances, it doesn't mean increased enforcement.
"These are just tools we can use, in case there is a problem," Meulenberg said.
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