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Residents urge Pleasant Grove to fix school-area traffic after child struck; city schedules on-site meeting
Summary
Residents and the City Council discussed traffic and safety near Lincoln Academy after a child was struck. City Administrator Scott Derrick and department heads will hold an on-site meeting at Lincoln Academy the following day to gather information and explore mitigation options.
Pleasant Grove City Council heard several public comments on Oct. 7 urging action on traffic and pedestrian safety near Lincoln Academy after a child was struck in the area.
The comments came during the council’s public comment period, where speakers described high volumes of drop-off and pickup traffic on a partly modernized farm road, missing sidewalks and crosswalks, and vehicles traveling at speed during peak school times. Scott Derrick, the city administrator, told the council staff will meet on-site at Lincoln Academy the following day at 1 p.m. to walk the area with residents and discuss possible short- and longer-term solutions.
The push for action followed an emotional opening by council members referencing the recent fatal collision involving a child and earlier similar incidents. "We mourn with members of our community that have been affected by this tragedy," one speaker said during opening remarks.
Christine Anderson, who identified herself as chairwoman of the American Fork Planning Commission, offered a range of possible measures. "Some of the immediate ones could be staggering the start and end times at the school or partnering with a nearby church that has a parking lot that can be used as temporary parking during peak times," Anderson said, and she suggested midterm steps such as a carpool program using apps like GoKid and a traffic study targeted at peak hours.
An unidentified resident who said the neighborhood road was "an old farm road that has never been fully modernized" urged physical changes, including additional crosswalks, a four-way stop, or speed bumps. "It's impossible. I've almost been hit trying to get across there because you've lines of cars that are lined up there," the resident said.
Derrick said the city will send a team to meet with residents and Lincoln Academy staff. "Tomorrow is me, our chief of police, Kelvin Brown, and our public works director, Neil Winterton. So we would be the main three, dealing with some of these," he said, noting the city attorney could become involved depending on requests and legal constraints.
Council members indicated they would gather residents’ suggestions and direct staff to pursue feasible solutions. The city scheduled the on-site meeting to gather details; formal policy changes, funding or technical studies were not adopted at the Oct. 7 meeting.
