New elementary schools to open without school zones
Drivers should be mindful that young children will soon be in and around new SW Marion County schools.
Two new Marion County elementary schools are slated to open in August and will start accepting young children without established school zones that reduce the speed limits in place.
Generally, parents of children within a two-mile radius of a school must make their own arrangements to get to school. However, ensuring safety on the roads for students requires coordination with the City of Ocala and Marion County government, which control signage and vehicle speeds around the new schools.
Public records exchanged between the agencies indicate it has not been a smooth collaboration, particularly as it relates to Winding Oaks Elementary.
Ross Prairie Elementary School, located at 14320 SW 70 Avenue Road, is within the county’s jurisdiction. It sits off Marion Oaks Manor, which has a speed limit of 45 mph and does not have sidewalks or crosswalks. The school district estimates that the families of 184 students will make their own arrangements to get them to school.
Winding Oaks Elementary School, at 7200 SW 49th Avenue Road, is located in the City of Ocala limits, but on a county road with hills and speeds of 45 mph posted. The Marion County engineer’s office has indicated that a school zone reducing vehicular speeds during certain times around the school was not warranted.
The district estimates 197 students live within two miles to Winding Oaks and will have to walk, ride their bike or be delivered to the school by parents.
“We will have one Ocala Police officer as its School Resource Officer,’’ according to a school district spokesperson. “Typically, public school districts do not handle traffic control measures (lights, stop signs, crosswalks, etc.) because city and/or county municipalities usually provide those.”
As recently as May 13, county officials were hashing out what would be feasible for the county to implement before opening Winding Oaks. The school district wanted a crosswalk directly in front of the school at the intersection of SW 49th Avenue Road and SW 71st Place Road, which is also located near a housing development currently being built.
According to an internal district memo, the county informed district officials that the developer would be installing the traffic signal under a development agreement with the City. Based on the anticipation of that signal, the county felt it was not warranted to reduce speeds in the meantime.
Donald Watson, senior engineer for Marion County, wrote to the safe schools department for the district. He shared a report his office had provided to Amber Gartner of the engineering firm Kimley-Horn: “Attached are the comments our Traffic team provided to Kimley-Horn on their engineering study for a proposed school zone on SW 49th Avenue Road. The primary purpose of reducing the speed limit near schools is to provide safe crossing opportunities for school-aged pedestrians walking to school. We believe that the signalized intersection planned on SW 49th Avenue Road at SW 71st Place Road will provide a safe crossing opportunity for pedestrians since it will stop traffic on SW 49th Avenue Road. In this case, reducing the speed limit is not necessary.”
“We understand that the school plans to open prior to installation of the traffic signal on SW 49th Avenue Road at SW 71st Place Road. In this case, we would not permit a crosswalk on SW 49th Avenue Road until the signal is installed. The crosswalks on SW 49th Avenue Road at SW 71st Place Road should be signalized to provide the safest crossing for pedestrians. Reducing the speed limit on SW 49th Avenue Road is not necessary in this case, since the crosswalks will not be installed before the traffic signal is installed,” the email said.
However, there is no estimated date from the city or county for installing crosswalks or signals at SW 49th Avenue Road and SW 71st Place Road. The “Gazette” has requested a copy of the developer agreement that includes the signal in front of the school, but did not receive it prior to publishing.
Steve Cohoon, the county engineer, told the “Gazette” he believes the agreement for the signal allows for a phased approach as the developer builds homes.
A memo from the county engineers’ office dated Feb. 15 said, “Per Section 15.3(4) of the FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) Speed Zoning Manual, ‘School zones and signalized intersections are independent traffic control devices, and the use of one neither requires nor precludes the use of the other. Should the school open prior to installation of the traffic signal, the crosswalks on SW 49th Avenue Road would not be permitted. In this case, a school zone is not warranted due to the absence of pedestrian crossings on SW 49th Avenue Road.”
A May 15 email exchange between School Board member Allison Campbell and Dennis P. McFatten, executive director of Safety and Security for MCPS, reflects a disagreement about what is warranted. Campbell referenced Fla. Statute 1006.23 defining hazardous walking conditions that the board obtained from board attorney Jeremy Powers.
Campbell pointed to one of the definitions of hazardous conditions as “a road that has posted speed of 50 or greater.” She also noted a part of the statute outlining a methodology for school districts to resolve disputes with state or local governmental entity over who has “jurisdiction concerning a condition perceived to be hazardous to students in that district who live within the 2-mile limit and who walk to school.”
The statute reads: “Such condition shall be inspected jointly by a representative of the school district, a representative of the state or local governmental entity with jurisdiction over the perceived hazardous location, and a representative of the municipal police department for a municipal road, a representative of the sheriff’s office for a county road, or a representative of the (Florida) Department of Transportation for a state road.”
School Board member Nancy Thrower expressed frustration to the “Gazette” about a lack of cooperation from local government for road safety concerns around other new schools as well. She suggested the reason was due to local government “taking a lot of heat for traffic congestion, so they want to avoid slowing any down.”
Cohoon said the county has plans for a signal and crosswalks for those students approaching from the north of the school at SW 49th Avenue Road and SW 66th Street, but it won’t be installed until December at the earliest.
Cohoon confirmed by email the closest crosswalk for students coming to Winding Oaks from the south will be at SW 49th Avenue Road and SW 80th Street, which is more than 339 feet from the school. Additionally, due to the winding road and hilly nature of the area, you cannot see the school from that crosswalk.
Cohoon told the “Gazette” on June 17 that the county would be putting a sign before school opened at that intersection to make sure students approaching from the south would understand which side of the road to approach the school. He also indicated he was waiting on school consultants to suggest other signage that would alert drivers that they were approaching a school but not require them to reduce their speed. Cohoon indicated those signs would be up by the time school started.
Florida Highway Patrol, the agency that oversees road safety in and around the school, offers these tips for keeping child pedestrian and bicycle safety.
According to FHP website, “Always walk on the sidewalk if there is one. If no sidewalks are present, walk against the direction of traffic so that you can see oncoming vehicles.”
There are sidewalks installed leading up to Winding Oaks, but there is only a small strip of sidewalk leading up to Ross Prairie.
An important reminder for those navigating drop-off and pick-up lines: Never enter the street from between parked cars. If crossing mid-block cannot be avoided, pedestrians must yield right of way to vehicles on the roadway.
FHP encourages parents to admonish their children to pay attention, which includes avoiding walking or riding a bicycle to school wearing headphones so that the student can hear the traffic and pedestrians around them. Also, students should never text or look at their cellphone when crossing the street.
Source: Florida Highway Patrol
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