Residents urge Springville City Council to fix dangerous Brookside crosswalk near school

Several Brookside neighborhood residents told the Springville City Council during public comment that a crosswalk at Brookside Drive and B Street is routinely treated as a high‑speed thoroughfare and poses a danger to children who walk to Brookside Elementary, nearby parks and places of worship.

Residents described a pattern of speeding, limited sight lines caused by parked cars, and near‑misses. Megan Hartman, who lives next to the crosswalk, said she has witnessed two collisions outside her home and that narrow streets and cars parked on both sides reduce visibility. Sarah Rosenoff said a small sign exists at the crossing but “there’s nothing really that stops people from just blasting past it.”

Speakers proposed several traffic‑calming options. Lindsey Moss recommended moving the official crossing to the nearby signalized intersection at 400 South so students would use the traffic light. Others asked for raised crosswalks, radar speed signs that display vehicle speed, high‑visibility pavement markings, and removable handheld flags for children to carry while crossing. Resident Travis Farnsworth cited studies, saying clear signage can reduce crashes by about 25 percent, lighting by up to 42 percent and high‑visibility markings by up to 48 percent, while urging traffic‑calming measures rather than relying on signage alone.

Neighborhood measurements and site‑specific observations were presented to the council. Judith Newby reported measured crosswalk lengths (about 50 feet on the north crossing; about 44 feet on another; and about 33 feet on a third), and said a curve at the site increases pedestrian exposure time. Hunter Huffman described the asphalt width as about 30 feet, with average travel lanes roughly 10 feet wide, and urged street‑design changes to reduce vehicle speed.

Council members and staff listened and advised a practical follow up. The chair invited residents to coordinate with city staff; the record shows a staff member named Brad (in the transcript spelled as "Bridal" in one place) was present and that engineers are available to evaluate technical options. Council comments emphasized that the issue is operational and that staff will assess specific proposals, including bulbouts, raised crossings, flashing beacons and signal adjustments.

No formal council action was taken on the crosswalk during this meeting. Council staff encouraged the neighborhood to identify a point person to work with the city engineers and promised staff follow‑up to evaluate feasible measures and next steps.