New Crosswalk Signs Increase Safety
A new pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Ash and Redwood, between West Boulevard and Pershing, has made walking to school much easier for some students at West Boulevard Elementary. A project of the Columbia Public Works Department, the new mid-block crosswalk sign serves to alert motorists to potential pedestrians and to slow traffic.
The new sign has been a real benefit to the Walking School Bus route in that area. “Previously, the kids living on Redwood had one option to cross Ash Street, and that was at Pershing Road,” said Tyler Koch, a Walking School Bus program coordinator and a route leader. “There are no sidewalks along that side of Ash so it was a vulnerable situation for the kids to be in. With the new crosswalk, their walk to school and access to Again Street Park is safer and more convenient,” said Koch.
The large yellow sign is attached to the roadway and stand directly in the center of Ash Street.
Scott Bitterman, a Supervising Engineer with Public Works, said the sign is a temporary fix as there are plans in the long-term to build a sidewalk along the south side of Ash. Until then, the sign has certainly been well received. “We have only had positive responses to it,” said Bitterman. Public Works has also placed a sign like this at the intersection of Walnut and 5th Street near the Post Office.
