A safer way to allow children to wander and bike to faculty might soon be a possibility for Marion Metropolis Universities.
For the duration of a Board of Education and learning meeting Monday, a consultant from Toole Structure gave a presentation on a university vacation plan that is staying formulated by the Columbus engineering and landscape architecture organization, MCS and the Ohio Office of Transportation.
The district programs to utilize for a grant for The Risk-free Routes to Faculty method. A nationwide initiative, the system provides methods, complex assistance, and task funding to encourage students in grades K-8 to stroll or experience their bike to college. ODOT receives $4 million annually for SRTS jobs in five categories: engineering, encouragement, education and learning, enforcement, and evaluation. Each individual task usaully charges close to $400,000, which includes sidewalks, crosswalks, flashing crosswalk indicators and control bump outs, according to ODOT.
Superintendent Ron Iarussi explained about a calendar year ago, the administration experienced some conversations about safe and sound routes to college, especially close to Harrison Elementary Faculty. Marion General public Wellness later on advised that the district must use for funding to offer safer pathways for young children, this kind of as sidewalks and bicycle paths.
Walcoff reported Toole and MCS has been gathering details above the earlier calendar year, such as offering out surveys to principals and caregivers and conducting wander audits.
She mentioned for Grant Center College, there are 14 spots that could perhaps qualify for sidewalk enhancements, with a divided bike lane delivering an effective counter measure. In addition, Garfield and McKinley Elementary wants sidewalk advancements or replacements.
“When we’re talking about a sidewalk improvement, let us say you have a couple of blocks of sidewalk missing, but you have sidewalk on either facet or just a few of properties lacking, so that could possibly be one thing more simple that we would claim as an enhancement,” she claimed.
Challenges that arose from the surveys included fears around speeding vehicles and traffic around Hayes Elementary and deficiency of targeted traffic checking before and after school at Taft Elementary.
On the other hand, a person remedy that could make having to university safer is a shared use path for pedestrians and bicyclists, which is in discussion for George Washington Elementary.
“When a little something is on extra than one particular approach like that, it can be likely to have additional reward than if it was just on 1 strategy, so it is achievable that would be a little something that elevate to the leading when we start off to identify most critical to least essential projects,” Walcoff said.
During the community comment period, Marion resident Dave Claborn stated when his seven-year-outdated daughter made use of to go to Harrison, going for walks her to college was harmful.
“I was strolling to college with a lady and her a few minimal daughters, one particular of whom was in a little one carriage and the autos are coming out, striving to get absent soon after they picked up their young ones or coming in attempting to fall them off,” he explained.
In 2019, a 7-12 months-outdated boy was strike by a auto while trying to cross Forest Street, just east of the university, outside the house of a crosswalk.
Claborn talked to Iarussi and town engineer Scott Bishop last year about hosting a fundraiser to install more sidewalk on Brightwood Drive, which was thriving.
“If we can use this funding to grow on the concept, I assume it would make it a substantially a lot more walkable neighborhood,” he reported.
Upcoming measures for Toole and MCS include acquiring a drafted plan ready by subsequent thirty day period for ODOT to review and inquiring the faculty board and metropolis council in September to undertake the plan. By December, the district hopes they will be able to prepare for the January application cycle for the SRTS venture.
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