Crossing conundrum: Congdon Park parents concerned with student safety along Superior Street

Despite new sidewalks and other improvements that made travel to Congdon Park Elementary School safer than years past, many parents still have worries about its proximity to busy Superior Street and what that means for walkers and bikers.

"There is concern and anger over Superior Street feeling scary for their kids," said Josh Gorham, a St. Louis County public health nurse working with the school through a Statewide Health Improvement Program, Healthy Northland.

In meetings with parents, he said, some have mentioned close calls involving kids and cars.

"There is a feeling that it's a dangerous situation," Gorham said.

A meeting to discuss safer ways for students to walk to school will be held Monday at the Congdon Park school.

While improvements were made involving drop-offs and pick-ups during the school's recent renovations, "there is ongoing concern about Superior Street," said Kerry Leider, property and risk manager for the Duluth school district.

Those concerns include the speed of traffic and "the patience of drivers as they approach the stoplights at Hawthorne and Superior Street where we have walkers crossing and crossing guards," he said.

Concerns also exist for other intersections around the school.

Fifth-grader Sam Mertz, a school crossing guard, said coordinating the stop lights and movement of walkers is tricky.

"It's extremely busy," he said. "If you're not careful with the lights, someone could get hurt."

Ideas for improving student safety include the creation of a trail crossing at Superior Street and Congdon Park Drive, additional crosswalks, a school speed zone and flashing signs to alert people to a school zone.

The trail crossing, Gorham said, would be in anticipation of the proposed trail stemming from Lowell Elementary leading to the Lakewalk. It would cross Superior Street from Tischer Creek.

Parents and neighbors are hoping to improve the sidewalks taken to and from school, Leider said, noting that this year, the heights of snowbanks at intersections have been especially high, making crossing more difficult.

"In some cases, people are getting to the point where they can't keep sidewalks clear," he said. "That impacts safe routes in the wintertime."

Other issues cited by parents, Gorham said, include a lack of communication that a school exists along that road, the school start time coinciding with the morning rush and some blind corners. Some people, trying to avoid Superior Street in the morning, cut through the streets surrounding the school.

And on Superior Street, parents say there is "traffic congestion and more urgency from people trying to get to work," Gorham said, noting the city has done speed studies of the area and speed doesn't appear to be an issue.

During renovations, a new parking lot was constructed and a parent drop-off area was added to the back of the school, allowing for buses only to pick up and drop students off in front on Superior Street.

Parents are happy with those changes, along with bigger crosswalks and the new sidewalks, Gorham said.

"But things are not quite where they want them to be," he said, so parents are looking for solutions.

The Safe Routes to School Committee's overall goal is to improve travel safety so more kids will bike and walk to school, thereby improving their health. The meeting is meant for parents and community members to give input, school Principal Kathi Kusch-Marshall said. The committee will take ideas to the city for consideration.

If you go

A meeting to discuss safe routes to school will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Congdon Park Elementary, 3116 E. Superior St., in the library.