Workshop Item Dan Schluender, City Engineer
Title
Title
School Zone Safety
end
Executive Summary
There have been several accidents this year at or near schools in Blaine involving pedestrians and vehicles. At the council workshop on December 13 council requested that staff prepare an item to discuss school zone safety at and around the schools to see if any improvements can be implemented.
Background
Over the past few years student access to schools has been migrating away from a mostly bus/walker (+/- 85%) and parent drop off/pickup (+/-15%) model. This migration was accelerated based on the last two years of the schools dealing with the variety of learning forums that are being used and more recently a lack of bus drivers. In discussions with one school district the student access model now looks more like bus/walker (+/-15%) and parent drop off/pickup (+/- 85%). This has created an issue with most of the school campuses and the street networks surrounding the schools as neither were designed for that volume of vehicular traffic. Staff has identified several campuses that we would like to review and discuss what this looks like and some of the impacts it is creating.
1. Johnsville Elementary
2. Madison Elementary
3. Northpoint Elementary
4. Roosevelt Middle School
A map of each of these campuses and surrounding streets are attached to this item for reference.
The following are a several actions that staff are looking to implement.
Public Works has ordered a number of portable signs with heavy rubber bases to place in designated crosswalks near the schools that say “School - State Law- Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk”. The plan is to place these out each year in late August prior to the school year beginning as a visual reminder to drivers. They will then be picked up in October before the first snowfall. These are meant to supplement the typical school zone signage. Temporary signage like this keeps the reminder “fresh” each year.
The Police Department has increased its education and enforcement activities in and around these and several other school campuses. Most of their activity has been focused on distracted driving and speeding in school zones.
The Engineering Department has started an audit of the existing public streets/sidewalk/trails around several of the school campuses to determine if the proper signage and striping are in place and properly located.
Strategic Plan Relationship
This issue aligns with the city’s strategic goal of providing a safe and well maintained infrastructure.
Financial Impact
N/A
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City review the streets and sidewalks/trails around each of the schools to verify that the appropriate signage and striping are in place. Then to reach out to each school district to begin a discussion to see if any safety improvements can be implemented on or around their campuses to provide safer pedestrian and vehicle ingress and egress during parent drop off/pickup.