Section 8: School Pedestrian Safety Plan Development

There are eight public schools located within the City Limits of Morgantown:

• 1)      Morgantown High School
• 2)      North Elementary School
• 3)      South Middle School
• 4)      Suncrest Middle School
• 5)      Suncrest Primary School
• 6)      Vocational Technical Center
• 7)      University High School building (future public school)
• 8)      Woodburn Primary School

These schools serve households in many areas of the City. Some residences are located in neighborhoods within a one mile radius of the school and its playground. Some children walk or could walk with parents or family members to school if there were supportive plan and safe infrastructure for doing so. Due to present safety concerns, few children can walk safely to school by themselves without some type of program. One example is a “walking school bus,” in which adults walk with children, starting in one location and picking up other children along the way.

Many primary school students are dropped off along the streets near the schools. Neither the Suncrest nor Woodburn primary schools have adequate sidewalks or curbs to support school drop-off and visitation. Installing curbing and sidewalks especially within the school block is a major priority to improve the safety of drop-off and stand by areas.

At the South and Suncrest Middle Schools, a greater percentage of students ride buses to school, but there are still many students who are dropped off by family members either regularly or occasionally. Some middle students already walk to and from middle school. It is likely that an increased percentage would walk if there were safer sidewalks, crosswalks, and school crossing guards available at nearby arterial roads and at the school site. Adult crossing guards need to be equipped with bright and reflective Class 2 safety vests (as specified in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices) and a STOP paddle. Student safety patrols also can be important in assisting adults crossing guards and in improving safety in drop-off zones.

No survey has been conducted to determine how many Morgantown High School students presently walk or would walk to and from high school. Car and bus traffic is very heavy around the school at the beginning and end of the school days, and therefore pedestrian safety continues to be an important concern. Even though there are sidewalks on both sides of Wilson Ave. there is only one sidewalk on Prairie Ave. – an important pedestrian thoroughfare and drop off site for regular school days and for special events.

In all school zones, the utilization of advance stop lines before crosswalks at intersections and mid-block crossings where there are STOP/YIELD HERE FOR PEDESTRIANS signs is deemed important. Pavement markings, signs and even flashing signs on a timer can be useful resources for increasing safety. Traffic calming installations can also be important to areas where traditional signage is not effective in reducing traffic speed.

Recommendation – The Board recommends that the City of Morgantown, through its Pedestrian Safety Board, request that each school be asked to develop a School Area Pedestrian Safety Plan utilizing the collaboration of faculty, parent, student, and neighborhood association representatives.

The purpose of each Plan would be to make safer routes to school for students living in adjacent neighborhoods located up to one-mile from the school. These plans would be forwarded to the Board of Education and then submitted to the Traffic Commission and the Pedestrian Safety Board for review, clarification, and prioritization for implementation.

It is likely that some steps such as the establishment of volunteer crossing guards, safety patrols, and other pedestrian safety programs and activities could be implemented by the school itself in collaboration with the Board of Education.

The Pedestrian Safety Board will provide personnel and materials to assist each school in creating their School Area Pedestrian Safety Plan. Information is also available online at the National Center for Safe Routes to Schools website (http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/).

Table 3: The Five Es for Safe Routes to Schools Programs