Um, what isn't being pointed out is that there is a freakin' WalMart Supercenter right around the corner. That road is a thoroughfare--this isn't the "middle of nowhere" like the picture makes it look.
I have lots of questions: Why isn't there a pedestrian bridge? Why are the schools on opposite sides of the road when there is obviously land on the same side? Why is there a major thoroughfare in front of a school?
I know the answer: nobody is willing to sign off with money until the outcry is large enough. It seems like the traffic engineers know that there is a problem (15 accidents in the last 5 years and a traffic light plan already in flight), but you can tell from the article that all their solutions are cheap.
Signals that you don't really care about people walking or people with disabilities and want them to drive.
Ok, that was flippant, I realize, but the only time I've seen anyone use prefer overpasses and such is the Vegas strip and that's because it is outright hostile to walk next to or across.
> Why is there a major thoroughfare in front of a school?
Everybody is driven to school. Look at the land use around the school.
There are tons of pedestrian bridges in Hong Kong, for instance [0]. This is over a complicated intersection with a large street that has a lot of bus traffic, so it makes more sense for people to go up and over to cross the street rather than for there to be ground-level crossings with confusing traffic patterns. Hong Kong is very pedestrian friendly.
Pedestrian bridges, or tunnels which would probably be more appropriate here, are perfectly accessible to the handicapped. They even go so far as to encourage walking because its now easier to cross the road.
We have such a tunnel in my hometown for the local elementary school and it works pretty okay.
I have lots of questions: Why isn't there a pedestrian bridge? Why are the schools on opposite sides of the road when there is obviously land on the same side? Why is there a major thoroughfare in front of a school?
I know the answer: nobody is willing to sign off with money until the outcry is large enough. It seems like the traffic engineers know that there is a problem (15 accidents in the last 5 years and a traffic light plan already in flight), but you can tell from the article that all their solutions are cheap.
That tells me everything I need to know.