Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are working with city officials on a new initiative aimed at keeping people from standing in medians.
In 2019, the city of Charlotte released the Vision Zero Safer Streets for Charlotte program — a 10-year action plan to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. CMPD says it will now focus on a more specific issue with the new One Step program.
The program targets road medians, which the department says are a concern for pedestrian safety. CMPD says the goal is to prevent people from loitering, sitting, or standing in medians.
In a video posted to X, the department said it has installed signs on Providence and Fairview roads. The bright yellow signs, placed in medians, read: “No Standing. No Sitting. No Lying.”
A city ordinance prohibits people from occupying medians — something commonly seen during panhandling.
Want safer streets in Charlotte? The @CLTgov's Vision Zero program is dedicated to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. Road medians are an area of concern. It’s illegal to be on a median, and our new One Step program focuses on medians to support the city’s… pic.twitter.com/9sRhNRq3r9
— CMPD News (@CMPD) June 3, 2025
CMPD said officers have contacted over 270 people who were standing in the median or in the roadways. The Charlotte Department of Transportation said they’ve already seen a decrease of people in the median in that area, and the project will grow.
