May 5, 1998
Parents of students at Sam Case, Newport Middle, and Newport High Schools:
Over 1400 students attend school nearby, yet there are currently no stop signs providing for pedestrian safety when crossing NE Eads Street at any point along the nine blocks between the high school and Sam Case. Recent measurements by the City of Newport counted over 480 cars per hour on Eads during the times when school begins and ends! With a car every eight seconds, crossing can be scary and dangerous!
Beginning next year, many more students will be going to and from the new middle school for after-school activities. The new school and playgrounds will offer expanded opportunities for sports and other programs for children of all ages. By four-thirty or five o'clock, activities are over and kids are heading home. At this hour there are fewer cars - but the hazard is greater. The through traffic which uses Eads as a bypass route on the way home from work is much faster. In the winter, when it gets dark early, a child's misstep on the way home could be catastrophic.
It has been proposed to city officials and to the schools to place stop signs on Eads, either at Seventh Street or at Eighth Street. However, there is inertia in the city government. Unless we show public support, nothing will be done!
For further information and to sign a petition, please contact Carl Reynolds at 574-1981 .
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