Carroll Community School District Transportation Director, Jeff Cullen and Building and Grounds Supervisor, Jeff Dvorak, explained a recent request made of the city council to allow them to remove curbing and a crosswalk, change parking regulations and create several handicap parking spaces on the west side of Adams Elementary School. Cullen says they currently have 16 buses that operate in three waves, two of five and one of six. They are now going to be running only two waves of eight each.
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The parking and curb removal were not as big a concern for council members as was the safety of children crossing Adams. At the crosswalk south of 11th Street, Cullen says buses are parked in that area, very close to the crosswalk.
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Cullen had a third issue with the crosswalk and the flashing lights that are currently in place. He says as people go by a light like that every day, they become complacent and start to ignore the warning. Council member, Carolyn Siemann, had many questions and says she is not so sure that the north crosswalk would be a safe option for children, especially if the proposal to restrict parking on Adams Street is only done during bus loading and unloading times.
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Dvorak says there will be a wider view around the north crosswalk than there is around the south one and it will be much broader than it is now. After a discussion, the school representatives agreed they could make certain areas no parking at any time to create even more space for sightlines to pedestrian traffic. Since the council and the school have the safety of the children as their highest priority, they did opt to delay action on parking ordinances. They unanimously approved elimination of the south crosswalk and removal of curbs so that construction can begin as soon as possible. In two weeks, they will review the parking ordinances and the options available to create a safety zone around the crosswalk on the north side of 11th Street.