Pittsfield Parent Wants Pedestrian Safety Near Schools
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A local mother has petitioned the city for better pedestrian safety measures around schools.
Jacquelyn Sykes, who has two children in the district, asked Commissioner of Public Works and Utilities Ricardo Morales to mull safety improvements before the new school year begins in the fall.
This includes more vibrant road paintings and flashing signs.
"I have a walker and I park around the corner and I wait for her, and I literally come out of my skin watching how people drive by the schools. It's insane," she said during Tuesday's City Council meeting.
"There's no police presence. A kid already got hit on Holmes Road, that's why the speed bump was installed, so I'm just asking that you guys do something about it and be proactive in the upcoming school year."
She has asked that the city consider painting school crosswalks in a brighter, more visible color
to help draw attention to these critical pedestrian zones; repainting those crosswalks twice a year instead of once; and installing flashing crosswalk signs at the busiest school crossings, particularly near elementary and middle schools, to alert drivers and improve student safety.
"These improvements would make a meaningful difference in the daily safety of children and families who walk to and from· school," Sykes wrote.
In 2023, the city held public hearings on proposed changes to the stretch of road on Holmes Road between Williams Street and Elm Street and West Street from the intersection of Government Drive and College Way to Valentine Road. Both stretches had recent pedestrian accidents, including a fatality earlier that year on West Street.
Proposals included new Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk ramps, rapid flashing beacons at the mid-block street crossings, raised crosswalks, and reconfigured travel lanes to make the bike lane two feet larger while maintaining the same curb-to-curb measurement.
At one of the hearings, Melissa Rathbun, whose son was struck on Holmes Road the prior year, pointed out that the crosswalk markings get very worn during the winter months; Morales said the city recognizes this problem and is looking for the best solution to have road paintings last at least three years.
Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren has also petitioned Morales and the Traffic Commission to resolve excessive traffic and speeding on Pine Street, which connects Tyler Street and Springside Avenue. Warren pointed out that this is a residential street consisting of families with children, homeowners with pets, and senior citizens.
"The street is an improper shortcut, thoroughfare, and speedway which unnecessarily impacts and endangers the neighborhood," he wrote.
Tags: pedestrians, school safety,
