MEMPHIS, Tenn. — WREG told you about traffic issues outside Kingsbury Elementary, Middle and High Schools after concerned parents reached out to us.
The area gets congested as cars and students maneuver through drop-off and pick-up times on Graham Street.
The school district said they haven’t heard any recent complaints, but we’ve since learned there’s been enough attention on the problem that a project is in the works to help.
Susan Helms works for Safe Kids Mid-South at Le Bonheur.
She says she was happy to see us bring attention to the traffic issues near Kingsbury Elementary, Middle and High School.
“Sometimes the parents and caregivers are leaving kids right in the middle of the street to jaywalk in and out of cars.”
She said the traffic at Kingsbury has been on their radar for years. In fact, construction is about to start by the schools as part of a pedestrian safety initiative sponsored by FedEx.
When we brought concerns about traffic at the schools to the school district three weeks ago, they said they weren’t aware of any recent problems with the pick-up and drop-off procedures.
SCS didn’t mention anything about this project that’s aimed to combat the mistakes drivers make on the road.
“They were really going much faster than the speed limit would allow,” Helms said.
They’ll soon be adding more visible school signs to the area, reducing the ways drivers are allowed to turn and park, requesting a heavier police presence and making the crosswalk safer.
“The crosswalk is not visible,” Helms said.
Along with repainting it, they’re also going to extend the curb so you can see students when they’re waiting to cross the street.
They think this will have a ripple effect down the entire street improving student safety.
Parents and guardians will also be educated on appropriate drop-off and pick-up procedures.
We asked the school district why they didn’t tell us about this initiative.
Their media team said it was new information in their office.
Grahamwood and Winchester Elementary schools are also on the list with Kingsbury for getting improvements.
They hope to have the projects done by October.
