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Parents call for bussing after residents say Eola Road is unsafe for student walkers
Summary
At the May 18 board meeting, Gombert neighborhood resident Alicia Smith urged the board to reconsider bussing and demanded a corrected I‑DOT safety calculation for students who walk along a five‑lane stretch of Eola Road; she cited traffic volumes, multiple fatalities in recent years and neighborhoods denied bussing after the 2022 boundary changes.
Resident Alicia Smith addressed the board during public comment to press for immediate action to protect children who must walk along Eola Road near Fischer Middle School. "Eola Road is one of the most dangerous roads in Aurora. There have been several fatalities in the last 4 years," Smith said, detailing that the stretch between Montgomery and Keating is a five‑lane roadway with traffic volumes of 23,000–25,000 vehicles and pedestrian activity during morning peak hours.
Smith told the board that neighborhood efforts over four years to secure bussing were repeatedly rebuffed because district staff relied on the I‑DOT serious‑safety‑hazard rubric and its existing sidewalks. She argued the technical assessment did not capture actual hazard conditions and asked the district to "use your eyes and ears to assess the situation" and to request a corrected I‑DOT study and bussing to Fischer Middle School for the affected neighborhoods.
In response, administration acknowledged prior transportation studies and said the district would continue to work with county and state partners; the transcript does not show a firm policy change or immediate operational commitment. The resident asked the board to reconsider the previous denial of bussing for the Gombert neighborhoods and to pursue a more detailed hazard calculation.
Outcome: Public comment was recorded; the board did not take immediate action on bussing during the meeting and requested further follow‑up outside the public comment period.
