A Safer Trip to School

WAITSBURG - This September, many Waitsburg schoolchildren will find the trek to school significantly safer than in recent years. Designating specific ar- eas of town as "hazardous walk routes" will allow for students to be bused to the school, rather than walking in dangerous conditions.

In years past, students living east of the Touchet River Bridge were eligible to ride the bus safely to school. Shortly before Dr. Clarke's appointment as Waitsburg School District Superintendent in 2004, transportation budgets were cut and state funded transportation was available only for students living one mile or more from the school.

Recently, Dr. Clarke has been working with the De- partment of Transportation to develop a Safe Walking Route Map; a color-coded guide denoting recommend- ed walking routes for stu- dents. During that process, Clarke learned that the state will now fund transporta- tion for students living less than a mile from the school if it can be shown that haz- ardous walking conditions exist.

To date, the state does not require a formal process to designate areas as hazardous. Transportation Supervisor Colter Mohney spoke with state representa- tives to learn that if a group reviewed walking routes and found them danger- ous, those routes could be delegated as hazardous and eligible for busing.

Those performing the assessment of safe routes include: Dr. Carol Clarke, Waitsburg School District Superintendent; Colter Mohney, Transportation Supervisor; Marilyn Johnson, Waitsburg School Dis- trict Director; Walt Gobel, Waitsburg Mayor, Brian Bush, Deputy Sheriff and Jim Callahan, Fire Chief.

Determinations have been made that hazardous walk route conditions exist in the areas north of West 2nd Street/Highway 124 and west of Main Street as well as the area east of the Touchet River Bridge on Preston Avenue/Highway 12. Both areas lack sidewalks and require students to cross major thoroughfares with no access to crosswalks.

During the 2013-2014 school year, the district will reroute its current buses to include pick-up of students living in those two areas. The district has been informing parents, as they register their children for school, that bus transporta- tion will be provided to these two areas. "Parents have been extremely grate- ful," said Clarke.

Not only will students and parents benefit, but Waitsburg transportation ratings should improve as well. Last year Waitsburg received a 54.2% out of 100% as their efficiency rat- ing for transportation.

"If we have to drive 10 miles for one student, there's not much we can do about that," said Clarke. "We've considered com- bining bus routes, but that would mean some students could be sitting on the bus for an hour and a half. No one wants that. This way, we can pick up ten students in those same ten miles, and the efficiency rating will improve as well."

The district will review the process and funding prior to the 2014-2015 school year.