A spray-painted crosswalk has sparked a debate in a neighborhood of Union Township, NJ. The unofficial crosswalk appeared overnight before the first day of school, causing confusion for a few hours before police painted over it.
The police are calling it a case of criminal mischief and are looking for the vandal.
However, according to CBS New York , residents want a proper crosswalk in that location.
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Residents say that there are no stop signs for blocks, but the school bus drops kids off at the corner.
This means that the students are forced to either run across the busy street if they live on the other side, or walk a quarter-mile to the closest intersection with lights.
But even that isn’t a great option, since three roads intersect there, causing high traffic and confusing lights.
The issue scares nine-year-old Jordan Vasquez so much that he wrote a letter to the Mayor.
In it, he explains that “the cars will not stop and they speed and don’t follow the rules.” He also asks if a police officer or crossing guard could be on duty there before and after school hours.
Unfortunately, the city told CBS New York that a crosswalk or crossing guard can’t be placed on that corner.
This is because of the bend in the road, which is too close to the intersection for drivers to clearly see a crosswalk and react safely.
Which is a fair point, but there should be some way to ensure the safety of kids on their way to and from school.
For example, they could put a proper crosswalk a little bit farther down, away from the bend, giving the kids an option within a quarter-mile. They could also start looking at ways to better enforce the speed limit on the street.
Residents just adding their own crosswalk is definitely unsafe, but it also definitely shines a light on the issue.
Hopefully, those with the power to make changes will look into a safe and legal option to allow residents to cross the street.
h/t: CBS New York
