About Slow Down For Children

™ ^15MPH
The greatest gift we can give parents is to bring their children home safely

April 25, 2008

Dear Friends of Children:

When we started Slow Down For Children, in 2000, the school zone at Robert F. Nicely and Greensburg Salem High School was dangerously out of control. The school crosswalks had no markings or signs to indicate they were school crossings. The shoulder in front of Nicely Elementary School was washed out causing children to walk on McLaughlin Drive where cars were traveling at high rates of speed. Nicely children were chasing balls out into the street. Cars were passing the cars that were obeying the 15 MPH speed limit. There were no stop signs at the entrance to the high school and the students, teachers, and parents entering and leaving the high school grounds were at risk of getting broad-sided by speeding cars. Because there was no sidewalk extending to the Nicely school crosswalk, children had to walk in the street where Meadowbrook meets McLaughlin Drive. We went to work to change this.

We got the City to put a four-way stop sign at the entrance to the high school, an asphalt sidewalk along McLaughlin Drive in front of Nicely school, extend the Meadowbrook sidewalk to the crosswalk, post “No Passing” signs on McLaughlin Drive, paint a yellow double yellow line on McLaughlin Drive to discourage passing, relocate signs to define the school zone, enforce the 15 MPH speed limit, have traffic control for pedestrians at Offutt Field football games, and make Maple Avenue a one-way street at the Middle School when buses are loading and unloading. We got the school board to put a safety fence between the Nicely School playground and McLaughlin Drive to keep the children from chasing balls into the street, We supported legislation to have the school zone speeding fine increased to $500; we periodically post signs in the school zone to thank motorists for driving 15 MPH and alert them to the $500 fine; and we write letter to the Editor and continually distribute thousands of flyers throughout the community asking motorists to drive safely around children and obey the 15 MPH speed limit. We are presently trying to get the school board to put a safer fence between the Nicely lower playground and McLaughlin Drive.

Since the appointment of Chief Walter Lyons, police officers now aggressively enforce the 15 MPH speed limit and the stop signs at the high school and help pedestrians cross the busy streets at Offutt Field when there are football games. A police car is now visible at the Nicely crosswalk in the morning and afternoon. Chief Lyons’ good work has lifted the police department and the community to a new level of concern for the safety of children in our school zones and other streets. We salute Chief Lyons and his police officers for their continued good work.

Lately, we have observed speeding in the morning between 7 a.m. and 7 30 a.m., when the beacons are flashing and throughout the day when the beacons aren’t flashing, also, when cars are coming home from work after 5 p.m. At this time there are students walking home from extra curricular activities. During these times using RADAR, we have clocked cars at speeds upwards to 45-50 MPH. To reduce this problem we are asking the City to periodically run speed checks at these time.

Other than these two issues, essentially, risk for children in our school zones have been substantially reduced. But to keep it this way, strict enforcement must continue as long as one car is speeding and one child is at risk.

Let's never say that we are doing enough for the safety of children.

Robert T. Koveleskie
President