Description

CONTEXT

McKinley Park is an amazing branch of the ARPD’s Tiny Tots and Small Fry Program where kids around 3-5 years old attend preschool.

However, due to limited parking, parents have little to no choice but to park on the opposite side of the street and cross it with their little kids.

Though the road (Walnut st) is narrow, which means there is less road to cross, it also means there is little to no room for error for the preschoolers crossing to go to the park. Usually the parents also bring the little siblings with them too.

It’s the trickiest when the little kids think that it is a low traffic street then a fast car drives by.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

We have had two close encounters on this portion of the street.

The first time, a car zoomed right in front of me and my child (who stood behind me) as we were peeking out to check if the road was clear. The car came from Buena Vista side. It was at around 9AM.

The other instance, our two year old ran quickly from the park and almost crossed the road while a car was approaching quickly. I was able to pull her back right in time, literally at the edge of the sidewalk. The car came from Clement side. The car would have had full view of my child from far away, yet it did not slow down. It was around 12NN.

POSSIBLE IDEAS

We would be grateful for any sign that would signal drivers to slow down in the area surrounding the park. Perhaps a children crossing sign prior to the park section for people to slow down (coming from both directions - From Clement and from Buena Vista). Or maybe a small pedestrian lane. And maybe a fence on the Walnut side might help too.

Thank you for your consideration to keep the kids safe.