Busy Intersection In Kids’ Path To School
By Stephanie Wurtzs.wurtz@krdotv.com
COLORADO SPRINGS-New bus routes have students in one Colorado Springs school district scurrying across a busy intersection to get to school. Constitution and Peterson is a big intersection made even busier with air force base traffic heading through because of gate closures. Sending their Horizon Middle School students off in the morning to cross without a crossing guard or school zone signs has some District 49 parents concerned. “We just really feel like this intersection is an accident waiting to happen,” says Angie Ragsdale, a Horizon Middle School parent. Until this school year, buses picked up many kids on the north side of Constitution, taking them south to Horizon Middle School. But this year, things have changed. “There is a certain funding issue that goes with it, ” says Jay Hahn with District 49, “we would love to transport every kid, so we have to set some criteria, the walking distances for these kids.”
“I’m concerned with drivers maybe being in a hurry on the way to work and possibly trying to catch a yellow-red light,” says Tracy Sanders, whose son attends Horizon, “I’m concerned with kids darting out and not paying attention to the crossing signals.” A crosswalk and crossing guard are in place several blocks down, but parents say kids would be walking more than two miles to school to get there; at more than two miles, the district provides a bus. “It would be very hard to decide who should get bus services by which route students walk to school,” Hahn says, “it’s also very hard to put crossing guards and stop lights at every intersection where a kid might cross.” Parents say they’d like the busing back, or at least a crossing guard. The district says it’ll consider busing the students in, for a fee. “Anytime a kid crosses the street, you’re worried about their safety,” Hahn says, “we want our kids to be safe.” Until there’s a solution, parents ask drivers to take care. “If they can slow down and watch for kids,” says Ragsdale. There is a District 49 Transportation Committee meeting August 22 at 5:30 p.m. that parents in the district can attend to discuss concerns and solutions. It will be held at the district office, 10850 E. Woodmen.
