Do we need a crosswalk at the intersection of Holicong and US Route 202/York Road? Every morning, the intersection is filled with parents dropping off kids, seniors trying get to the parking lot before the bell rings, or the unlucky others stuck in the traffic jam. In addition, both middle and high schoolers of ages 12-18 walk to and from school across the street and onto the sidewalk adjacent. However, crossing this intersection is no easy feat; cars scream across the road with little warning, and with the number of vehicles going along these roads, students wait and eventually get late to school. Along with walking to and from school, athletic teams such as cross-country face the same safety risks when running across the intersection. With the danger involved, it seems all students cannot cross the street. However, the intersection could be made safer with one simple addition: a crosswalk.
Archbishop Wood, a private school just down US 202/York Road, encounters a similar situation, where the intersection of Street Road and US 202 has lots of oncoming traffic right in front of the school. However, the school has implemented multiple crosswalks at that intersection, providing a safe route for students to walk to school from all directions. Street Road and US 202/York Road is an even more dangerous intersection than our Holicong/York Road, so why do we not have a crosswalk, and what can we do to fix this?
The PennDOT crosswalk laws require numerous measures both the pedestrian and drivers must make to ensure safety:
- When a pedestrian crosses the street in a crosswalk, the driver must yield.
- Drivers are not required to yield until you begin to step into the crosswalk.
- Pedestrians should not walk or run unexpectedly into the path of a moving vehicle. Pedestrians should not assume drivers will see or yield. Look left, right, and left again before stepping out.
- It is illegal for drivers to pass a vehicle that is stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, as the second driver may not see the pedestrian in the crosswalk.
At the York and Holicong Rd. intersection, pedestrians must wait for the traffic-control devices, which can take ages to turn green (knowing this from personal experience). With the addition of a crosswalk, this would significantly change. Drivers would yield to pedestrians crossing the road, providing a safe route for a healthy alternative to driving to school. Students would no longer need to worry about getting late to class, since they could freely walk across the intersection (while practicing basic safety measures, of course). For runners, while they would still have to look both ways, there would no longer be the wait for the light to turn green. Instead of focusing on the whirlwind of cars, they could practice harder to represent our school even better.
PennDOT recognizes International Walk to School Month, celebrated in October. The holiday brings awareness to the necessity to implement safe routes for kids of all ages to walk to school on. While October has passed, working towards healthier ways to travel to and from school is still a prominent topic that everyone at CB East can work towards. The most important thing to do is to understand the Pennsylvania General Pedestrian Laws. The superintendent has already notified PennDOT Region 6 and the Buckingham Township in support of this crosswalk, and you can too. PennDOT accepts roadway concerns at customercare.penndot.pa.gov, and by bringing this to their attention, we can add this crosswalk efficiently and properly. Here at CB East, we strive to be excellent and create a safe environment for our students. By implementing this crosswalk, we can uphold these ideals while encouraging a healthy mode of transport to school.
