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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPOUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT 2004 HIGH SCHOOL - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 43-01A - MEDIA - (5)Acc'ide* nt spurs crosswalk signal Kinard parents fear for students' safety By SARA REED 1( " "101 Sara R eed@coloradoa n.com A recent accident outside Fossil Ridge High School and Kinard Junior High School has parents of stu- dents concerned for their children's safety. On Monday, a Fossil Ridge student sustained mi- nor injuries when a vehicle collided with her bicycle at the comer of Rock Creek Drive and Ziegler Road. Al- though speed was not a fac- tor in the accident, parents and school officials worry that it might be next time. The new school building, which opened to students in August, sits near the inter- section of Ziegler and Kechter roads, both of which have speed limits of 40 mph for traffic passing the school. Although a bea- con was recently put at the crosswalk across Ziegler Road, there is no light to stop traffic to allow students to cross, and there is no 20- mph school zone around the school. However, there is a button -activated pedestrian Continued from Page Bl the kids," Schmidtke said "It's like dodgeball for them to get across the street" Schmidtke said she was sur- prised that Monday's accident was the fast of its kind at the schooL "I'm surprised it was this long before an accident happened," she said. "Thank God there were only minor injuries." A traffic signal is being installed at the comer of Rock Creek Drive and Ziegler Road and should be complete in a few weeks, said Erik Bracke, traffic engineer with the city of Fort Collins. But parents such as Galbate and crossing signal and a school zone for Zach Elementary School, which is across Kechter Road from Fossil Ridge. This is why Todd and Christine Galbate are un- easy about letting their 12- year-old daughter walk to her classes at Kinard, de- spite the fact they live with- in walking distance. The Galbates also have a 6-year- old daughter at Zach. ,we don't let our daugh- ters walk to school because there is construction, and Schmidtke say this move comes late. "'This is six months too late," Schmidtke said. "It should have been done when school started." Although Galbate said he thought the signal should have been installed before the school opened, he said it is a step in the right direction He added he would like to see a similar crossing put on the south side of the school to allow stu- dents to cross Kechter. "It (an accident) is going to hap- pen there too," he said. "It's just as busy with nowhere to cross." Bracke said the decision to put a signal at that intersection, which it's 40 mph between the subdivision and Fossil Ridge," Todd Galbate said. "The roads are really wide with the bike lanes and turn lanes. Ifs quite a run for a kid or to start a bike up from zero and pedal across the street." Kathy Schmidtke, who has a 15-year-old daughter at Fossil Ridge, said she drives other students home so they don't have to cross the street. 'There's no crosswalk for See CROSSWALK/Page B7 was made in the fall, was not made earlier because the intersection did not meet the traffic require- ments. "We knew it would eventually have to be signalized," he said. "But not this soon. We were com- pletely unaware of the junior high school." As far as a school zone outside the school, Bracke said that is only done for elementary schools. "High school and junior high school students have the where- withal to walk along the sidewalk," he said. Mark Hartshorne, principal at Fossil Ridge, said he shares the parents' worries about their chil- V. Richard Haro%rhe Coloradoan BOTH WAYS- Hunter Hoburg, left, and Tim Burton, both sev- enth -graders at Kinard Junior High School, look for oncoming traffic as they crass Ziegler Road at Rock Creek Drive after school. A traffic signal is being installed at the intersection. dren being able to get to school safely. "This is an area of great con- cern for me," Hartshorne said. "I'm very concerned about the amount of traffic on Ziegler." Hartshorne said he hopes the signal will make it safer for stu- dents to get to school, but he said faculty and staff also urge the stu- dents to take their safety into their own hands. "We dialogue about this quite a bit," he said. "We urge everyone to exercise caution and safety and hope that all drivers, bicyclers and walkers exercise caution and dis- cretion. It's important that we all do that."