Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pedestrian Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents, crossing guard urge action after drivers run stop sign near new park
Summary
Residents and a crossing guard told the council drivers frequently run a stop sign by a park and elementary school, urging measures such as flashing lights, speed-feedback signs or cameras to protect children crossing to Birch Creek Elementary.
Neighbors near the new pickleball courts and a crossing guard presented repeated safety concerns to the council, saying drivers regularly fail to stop at a nearby sign where children walk to Birch Creek Elementary.
“My son attends Birch Creek Elementary... I’ve seen cars blow past her,” resident Laura Stevenson told the council, asking for steps that would make children feel safer. Stevenson said the neighborhood has already tried painting the curb and seeing some drivers still park in the red zone.
The crossing guard, identified as Kathy, described multiple near-misses and suggested adding speed-feedback signs or flashing lights at the stop sign; she also reported that a brief police presence caused drivers to slow but that the problems resumed when officers left. “A life of a child is much more important than five minutes being late for work,” Kathy said.
Councilmembers asked police and staff to investigate both enforcement options and lower-cost traffic-calming measures (for example, flashing stop-sign beacons or painted warning treatments). Staff said they would look into short-term measures and report back with cost estimates, and that longer-term options (raised crosswalks, traffic signals) would require further study and potentially property acquisition.
