One-way street should help student, vehicle traffic near Denkmann School

February 19, 2008

        This article discusses the recent approval by Rock Island Alderman of a special ordinance making some streets and avenues around Denkmann elementary school one ways during certain times of the day.  Traffic tie-ups at this school and dangerous crossings for children have caused this ordinance to be necessary.  In addition, there are no sidewalks on many streets adjacent to Denkmann and not all drivers are aware that children may soon be darting into their paths.  It seems that voluntary traffic patterns that the school requested were not being observed around the elementary school, and some parents were simply letting children out at dangerous location.  This has worked well at other grade schools in the area and allows a large number of cars to enter and exit quickly. 

            It seems so simple to me that parents would follow voluntary traffic patterns and yet human nature tells me that people get in a hurry.  I don’t believe anyone would purposely endanger his or her own child or other children.  Yet, distractions occur for drivers at the very moment when a child would run into the path of an automobile.   I congratulate Rock Island on being proactive on this very simple issue.  I attended a grade school which dismissed minutes away from the local high school and many businesses.  There were many times when students could have been hurt, and there was one student who was hit by a car crossing the main road in front of the school.  If these new traffic patterns are observed consistently and enforced by police, parents and caregivers will routinely do the right thing.  There will always be the few people who don’t care that there are rules in place and will want to find the easiest or fastest way to speed through their day.  Every school should take a hard look at their own traffic patterns and see if safety of children is the primary concern as it should be everywhere.