Hospital traffic makes crosswalk dangerous

The busy crosswalk on Ellis Street and Plymouth Drive has Parkview Elementary School parents worrying about their children's safety.

Crossing the busy intersection at Ellis Street and Plymouth Drive near St. Joseph’s Hospital is dangerous for Parkview Elementary School students because drivers are focused on getting to their medical appointments, Parkview Elementary parents said.

Parents feel scared for their children’s safety when their students cross the busy intersection to get to school, Parkview parents said.

Connie Streubel, a Plymouth Drive resident, said she always walks her daughter to school. This is the first year Streubel’s daughter, Audrey, a fifth-grader at Parkview Elementary, is allowed to bike to school by herself.

“It still makes me nervous,” Streubel said.

According to Streubel, at least 10 children live on Plymouth Drive and have to cross Ellis Street to get to school. She also said people always walk through Plymouth Drive to take a shortcut to get to Meridian Street.

Parents teach their children safety

Lisa Geraghty, a mother of three boys and a resident on Plymouth Drive, said she crosses Ellis Street four to six times a school day. She said her kindergartner gets out of school before her fourth-grader, so she makes multiple trips across Ellis Street.

Geraghty said this is the first year she started allowing Reese, her 10-year-old fourth-grader, to bike to school by himself.

“We practiced crossing the street so he can handle crossing the street by himself,” Geraghty said.

First, her son has to make eye contact with the drivers and wait for them to make a complete stop, she said. Before walking his bike across Ellis Street, her son has to wave to the drivers to make sure it is safe to cross, Geraghty said.

Geraghty said she would never let her 6-year-old first-grader ride his bike to school by himself. She said drivers tend not to stop and younger kids cannot judge how fast something is coming at them.

“I feel a 10-year-old can judge pretty well,” Geraghty said.

A parent shares her frightening experience

Streubel said in June 2009, she was crossing Ellis Street with her children when she was almost hit by a car.

The car directly in front of her had stopped at the crosswalk on Ellis Street, Streubel said. The car behind the stopped car swerved into the turn lane, almost hitting the baby stroller, she said.

Streubel said if she did not react as fast as she did, the car would have hit the stroller with her baby inside.

“I was crying,” she said. “I was so scared, I was shaking.”

Parents hoping for crosswalk improvements

Streubel said people are so focused on getting to the hospital or medical appointments, that they don’t pay attention to the kids who want to cross the street. Streubel said a blinking-crosswalk light would be the best improvement on Ellis Street because it would get drivers to notice pedestrians.

“People don’t pay attention,” Streubel said. “No one stops.”

A crosswalk monitor before and after school would also help drivers see children crossing the street, Streubel said.

Geraghty said a blinking-crosswalk light would be fabulous but she cannot envision that happening because of budget cuts.

“Walking flags would be the best idea because they’re low cost and very visible,” Geraghty said.

The city will help if there is a problem

The City of Bellingham’s Planning Division Transportation Options Coordinator, Kim Brown, said there is a marked crosswalk and school crossing signs on Ellis Street warning drivers of the crosswalk. Brown said if there is a problem, the Planning Division will take a look.

Brown said the police would assess if there was a speeding issue on Ellis Street. She also said the Operations and Engineering Staff would look at the roadway, number of lanes and current status of the crosswalk and signs.

Brown said the Operations and Engineering Staff would repaint the marked crosswalk if it worn down.

“The marked crosswalk and signage meet the city’s safety criteria,” Brown said.

Brown said the best technique to help students cross Ellis Street is to create a "walking school bus." She said a parent could walk with a group of students across the street. The parent would ensure safety by supervising and leading the group of students.

“A walking school bus would help improve safety,” Brown said. #