Author: saferoadsforbrandeishigh

A message from Councilman Manny Pelaez

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MP-FB-post3inEdited on 9/10.

Below is the message by Councilman Manny Pelaez — San Antonio Council Member for San Antonio District 8. He posted this to Facebook yesterday, Saturday, Sept 8, 2018.

Hi neighbors — Many of you have contacted me regarding the terrible accident that occurred yesterday in front of Brandeis High School.

This is news you never want to hear. I am so grateful the student is OK. My thoughts and prayers are with the student and the student’s family.

I wanted to let you know that over the last several months, my office has taken steps to address the concern of pedestrian safety.

I have requested that a traffic light be installed on Kyle Seale Parkway at the main entrance to the school as part of the FY 2019 budget, which will go before council next week for approval.

In addition, we are in contact with the school administration and are working to get the city’s Vision Zero program taught at the school. Vision Zero works to educate students about pedestrian safety to prevent accidents such as the one that occurred yesterday.

Your SAPD SAFFE officers will also be at the school next week to monitor traffic.

As always please call my office if you have any questions or want to talk about your concerns. Our number is 210-207-0943. Our email is district8@sanantonio.gov

Thank you.

While the proposed traffic light at the main entrance to Brandeis HS (the west entrance) and the student education initiative may be good things, they don’t address the design issues at the east entrance. (Edit on 9/10, per my conversation with Dr. Berger described in my post on 9/10, both intersections are a concern.)

On the other hand, the presence of the SAPD SAFFE officers will certainly be welcome, and I suspect will really help us get professional insight and advice about the problem.

In addition, while I was taking pictures yesterday, a supportive BHS father stopped by. He said he’d reached out to the councilman’s office this summer about the blind curve. His office immediately took steps to put a “no right on red” sign at the intersection of Hausman and Kyle Seale Parkway. It’ll take a few months to actually happen. But the good news is the responsiveness of Councilman Pelaez.

For your reference, here is more info on the SAPD SAFFE program, which is a part of the city’s community policing activities. It is divided into six substations. Brandeis is located within the Prue station area.
Vision Zero is a “strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all” (see its U.S. network website). Get info about the San Antonio Vision Zero program here.

Get this Show on the Road

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The intersection we’re concerned about is on Kyle Seale Parkway at the east parking lot exit in front of Brandeis High School.

Elements that are good include:

  • Visible crosswalks with yellow markers at the cross point and warning signs beforehand.
  • School zone speed limit with overhead light and signage.
  • Posted warning about penalties for cell phone use in the school zone.
  • Stop sign at parking lot exit.
  • Vegetation at the SW corner was trimmed back before school started.

Elements that are not good include:

  • Poor (terrible) traffic flow in and out of the parking lot at peak times.
  • Bad visibility due to the curve in the road and vegetation.
  • Lack of sidewalks where pedestrians need them.
  • No safe time for pedestrians at the crosswalk. They have to run to cross.
  • No crossing guard or officer directing traffic.
  • Limited access for emergency vehicles during peak traffic times.
  • School zone speed limit is too high (25 mph), which increases the severity of accidents.
  • Insufficient enforcement of the school zone speed limit (I suspect).
  • No bike lane or safe area for students on bicycles.

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BHS-map2

Below is the view of the overhead posted school zone speed limit on Kyle Seale heading west (on 9/8/18).

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Here is the view of the crosswalk from a car at the stop sign exiting the east parking lot (photos taken on 9/8/18).

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Here is a view looking east from the crosswalk. Note the trail along this side of the road. Students use this path to walk home and to the food spots along Hausman. To walk this direction on a sidewalk, they have to cross Kyle Seale Parkway.

Also notice that there isn’t a sidewalk to the crosswalk from the school on this side of the parking lot driveway.

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Here is the crosswalk itself, facing south. Some students keep walking south to get home. Also, the fence to the left was knocked down late last year when a student was exiting the parking lot and suddenly saw a car headed toward them.

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This photo is looking west from the crosswalk on the south side of Kyle Seale Parkway. There’s a bit of a drainage issue here too.

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Expertise We Can Draw On

Safe Kids Worldwide conducted a study, Alarming Dangers in School Zones, recently that is a good resource for us. Of particular relevance are Page 15.

They also have a nice infographic and Take Action Toolkit: How to Fix an Unsafe School Zone in Your Community.

One of the key points Safe Kids Worldwide emphasizes is that school zone speed limits should be no more than 20 mph, preferably 15 mph. Along with this are flashing beacons, speed feedback signs, pedestrian signals and crossing guards.

Another resource is the Safe Routes to School federal program, which can provide funds (through the state).

Possible Solutions

Some solutions that research shows are successful that we may push for are:

  • Put in place crossing guards (volunteers or police) right away.
  • Lower the school zone speed limit.
  • Enforce the speed limit. Possibly institute a mandatory ticket policy for speeding and cell phone use in the school zone.
  • Install a HAWK beacon (High-Intensity Activated crossWalK beacon).
  • Install a pedestrian signal or street light.
  • Move the crosswalk to the other side of the parking lot exit to improve visibility.
  • Install more sidewalks where they are needed.

We need to hear from students too. They know this issue the best.

Officials We Should Be Working With

Rather than blasting different officials with emails and letters or even petitions, I suggest we start by reaching out and hold a community meeting to problem solve. There are many strategies that can keep our kids safe. We need to explore the pros and cons of each and different agencies have a role.

Who can help:

  • Brandeis High School principal, Dr. Geri Berger, and the school administration.
  • Northside officers assigned to BHS.
  • Northside ISD: School board and administration
  • City Councilman Manny Pelaez
  • San Antonio Police Department
  • City of San Antonio, TCI Department
  • TxDot (Texas Department of Transportation) – if Kyle Seale Parkway is a TxDot road.

Possible Next Steps

Share your thoughts.

Spread the word to friends and students.

Set up a community meeting.

Request a traffic study be conducted.

Whatever we do, we have to create a safe place for students to cross the street. We cannot put them at risk by keeping things how they are.

Right now, we are forcing them to cross the street during heavy traffic, sometimes in bad weather, with no way to gauge the speed of oncoming cars and no opportunity to cross when traffic is paused.

Telling students to “look both ways” isn’t going to cut it.

Telling new teen drivers to be more careful – while important – isn’t enough. (After all, it doesn’t work for experienced adult drivers either.)

This is a problem that adults need to fix. And we will!

Please use this space to share your thoughts and what you are doing to help. Let us know if you talk with an official or agency. Let’s keep each other informed.

 

Note: I updated the map images to fix the directional arrow. 9/9/18