Residents ask Dardenne Prairie to remove school pick-up signs; city says signs support safety and will be enforced informally

Members of a handful of households on Expedition Court told the Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen they want newly installed school pick-up/drop-off signs removed, saying the signs limit guest parking and are unnecessary.

"We unanimously oppose ordinance 23 70 or 21 73, and we are seeking assistance from the mayor and the board of aldermen to remove signs which we feel are unnecessary on our street and may restrict the ability of our guests and family members to park in front of our homes," said Melissa Voe, who identified herself as a resident of 3 Expedition Court and delivered a letter signed by every property owner on the street.

Voe said she has watched the intersection during morning and afternoon pick-up for two years and has observed no repeated safety or traffic problems on Expedition Court; she said parents who park in the cul-de-sac have been respectful and that the school's car-rider pickup efficiently moves vehicles through the primary pickup lane.

Alderman Aldwin Detweiler told the board he met with Fort Zumwalt School District staff, the Osmond principal and the district's transportation director and said the signs are specifically for pick-up and drop-off. He cautioned that installing a marked crosswalk at the cul-de-sac would require ADA-compliant ramps and a sidewalk connection and could effectively be "a crosswalk to nowhere," creating its own safety issues if it ended in a yard or street without pedestrian infrastructure.

The City Administrator, responding in staff communications, said the signs resulted from a considered process intended to improve child safety. "Our police officers are not gonna go out there and start ticketing individuals. Their approach is gonna be to share with the individual there what the parking restrictions are and have them move on," the administrator said, describing an educational enforcement stance.

The administrator also said the city previously applied for a school-safety grant for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, did not receive funding, and will reapply.

Board members invited further discussion after the meeting and said aldermen would follow up with constituents and district officials. The city will not immediately remove the signs; staff described next steps as outreach to residents, further meetings with school and district representatives, and pursuing grant funding to improve school-area safety.