SAN DIEGO — After years of being told ‘no’, a North County mom is on a mission to get stop signs at her school crosswalks.
CBS 8’s Anna Laurel saw a petition for the crosswalks posted on a local mom’s Facebook group and reached out to Allison Schaeffer.
Here's the link to the 'Stop Sign' petition: www.change.org
At CBS 8, we’re working for you. So, Anna contacted the city to get some answers, and maybe even some stop signs.
When we got to Paseo Montenero outside Del Sur Elementary, the streets were quiet. But when school starts next week, the intersection and a crosswalk become the gateway to get kids to and from school.
Parents say there needs to be a stop sign there to keep cars from barreling through.
Schaeffer has walked her son to school for years. She says it’s too dangerous to let her soon-to-be 4th grader cross Paseo Montenero alone.
“Once school starts it becomes a chaotic mess. Parents are running late. Children are trying to get to school on time," said Schaeffer. "One time I had a little boy, who I did not know, who was standing next to me, I had to pull him back by his backpack so he didn’t get hit,”
The posted speed limit is 25 mph. But while CBS 8 was out there with Schaeffer, cars zoomed through much faster.
We drove around the neighborhood, away from the school and away from the public park beside it. There were stop signs every block. On the street in front of the school and public park, there was not one.
“This community prides itself on allowing children to be safe and seen and heard and that is not happening,” said Schaeffer.
She reported the crosswalk intersection to the City of San Diego’s 'Get It Done' App several months ago.
20 days ago, the case was closed, with the following response:
“The issue has been evaluated and is determined that no action is warranted at this time because it meets city standards.”
CBS 8 reached out to the city to find out what those standards are.
The city judges an intersection based on different criteria. It scores them according to reported accidents, visibility conditions, traffic and pedestrian volumes, and special conditions.
Schaeffer’s location scored 18 points. 2 points short of the 20 points required for an all-way stop. But Schaeffer isn’t giving up.
“That doesn't mean we have to have something horrible happen first before we do something about it,” said Schaeffer
The city does have another option. You can have a public meeting with your local community action group.
Schaeffer is speaking to hers September 7, 2022. CBS 8 connected Schaeffer with her City Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert.
Here’s a link to the City’s Alternative Process: https://docs.sandiego.gov/councilpolicies/cpd_200-08.pdf
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