The ordinance applies only to medians that fit certain prescribed criteria. Stothert said she doesn’t have a list of the medians yet. She said the Public Works Department would develop a list after the City Council approved an ordinance. The city would post signs on the affected medians.

The ordinance would apply to narrow medians, or any medians without a flat area, that are within 200 feet of an intersection of busy streets or streets with speed limits over 30 mph.

The ordinance wouldn’t apply to sidewalks, street corners or medians that don’t meet the criteria spelled out in the ordinance.

People couldn’t linger in the median to panhandle, campaign or protest, for example. But they could exercise their rights to free speech or assembly by doing those things on the public sidewalks nearby.

“This ordinance is what is considered a content-neutral ordinance,” Wiesen said. “It applies to everyone equally. It doesn’t single out one particular individual. It doesn’t single out one particular viewpoint, or any particular groups. It applies to everyone in the same manner.”

He said it is a “narrowly tailored ordinance” that applies only to the most dangerous medians in the city.