City Officials Look At Pedestrian Safety At Lincoln School
Written By Ellen Putnam
Photo From Ped-Bike
Last week, in recognition of Safe Routes to School Week, the city’s Pedestrian and Bicyclist Committee (Ped-Bike) invited city officials to observe school drop-off and pick-up at the Lincoln School, with the goal of looking for ways to make walking to and from school safer and easier for Lincoln School students.
The Lincoln School was chosen for the audit because, of Melrose’s six elementary schools, Ped-Bike officers believe it has the highest percentage of students who walk or bike to school. It is also located on West Wyoming Avenue, which, according to city data, is one of the most dangerous streets in the city, and one of the most in need of traffic calming measures.
Additional audits may take place at some of the city’s other elementary schools in coming months, and parents are encouraged to reach out to the Ped-Bike Committee if they are interested in helping lead an audit at their school.
The Lincoln School situation is complicated by its proximity to the train tracks (trains are scheduled at 7:45am and 7:48am, right before the school’s scheduled arrival begins at 7:53am). Drivers often exceed the posted speed limit of 20 miles per hour. And the physical layout of the roads - including the wide and unwieldy intersection with Pleasant Street, which crossing guards call the “Valley of Death” - make the area difficult for children and caregivers to navigate safely.
Photo From Ped-Bike
Over the last year, a teacher and a student have each been struck by cars around the Lincoln School (neither fatally, fortunately - although there was a pedestrian fatality a few years ago at West Wyoming and Berwick Street, just a few blocks from the school).
Melrose has received a state budget earmark for $20,000 to perform a traffic calming study in the area around the Lincoln School, although precisely what the study will be for has not yet been shared.
Ped-Bike members emphasized that traffic calming solutions don’t need to be expensive. Speed bumps and raised crosswalks can make it difficult for cars to exceed the speed limit. Physical obstacles like planters can prevent drivers from parking too close to crosswalks, so pedestrians are more visible. And even just adding a few clearer signs in the area could encourage drivers to slow down in the school zone.
Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, along with Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Elena Proakis Ellis and several members of the City Council and School Committee, stopped by the Lincoln School over the last week to observe the situation for themselves and consider possible solutions.
The DPW would take the lead on any technical solutions, and the City Council would be responsible for appropriating money for projects outside the scope of normal DPW operations.
Residents who want to share their thoughts about pedestrian safety around the Lincoln School, or anywhere in Melrose, can reach out to the Ped-Bike Committee or to their city councilors.
