Pompona Beach, Fla.’s law that effectively bans panhandling from specific medians on busy highways does not violate the First Amendment because it reasonably furthers the city’s interest in traffic safety, a federal court said.

The Pompano Beach ordinance applies only to “paved medians that are more than three feet (but less than five feet) wide and that divide roadways with at least three lanes on each side,” Judge Roy K. Altman said Monday for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Such a medium is not a public forum, and the law does not target speech or prejudice any …