Sidewalk plowing is a partnership between Jamestown Public Schools and the City of Jamestown that is getting a lot of attention.
But a year after traffic problems around some city schools — notably Purcell Middle School and Love Elementary School — a memorandum of understanding between the city and school district to improve the crossing protection program shouldn’t be lost in the shuffle.
Parents know very well how important a good crossing guard is during drop-off and pick-up. Currently, the plan is to ensure that every elementary school in the city has a crossing guard. That’s a good start, but in our opinion, having a crossing guard or two outside of Purcell Middle School would make more sense given the school’s location at the intersection of two busy roads. Even middle schoolers who think they’re all grown up can benefit from help from adults on Hazeltine Street and Baker Street.
There will be a lot of talk over the city’s Vision Zero plan over the next several months, but in our opinion, one way to fix traffic congestion around schools is to simply install better crossing guards and traffic lights outside city schools. Push a button.
This is a great collaboration between the city and the school district – and the kind of collaboration taxpayers can expect to see long into the future.
