Parents in a Mesquite neighborhood are concerned for the safety of children walking to and from school due to speeding drivers they worry may be unaware they're in a school zone.
NBC 5 cameras were present near the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Peachtree Road Tuesday afternoon when a crossing guard scolded a driver for making an illegal turn.
Mesquite ISD parent Brenda Salinas said the frustration wasn’t unwarranted.
“My concern is that the crossing guard and the kids are almost being run over all the time,” Salinas said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Salinas is a stay-at-home mom whose children attend elementary, middle school and high school in Mesquite. She said the intersection of Memorial and Peachtree near Lanny Frasier Middle School is especially problematic.
“We have signs but they’re very small for the people to see, obviously, if they’re still speeding,” she said. “My concern is the kids that cross every day after school and before school. My kids don’t even walk to school, but my concern is the others that do walk.”
Salinas said she sees close calls several times a week, even with school zone markers. She’s taken her concerns to social media where other parents agree.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
We reached out to the City of Mesquite. We were told they were not aware of complaints or concerns about school zone coverage in the area. But city officials also acknowledged that one school zone flasher may have been moved for construction, and they would check to ensure it was reinstalled and operational.
We also reached out to Mesquite ISD. Their response reads, in part:
“The City of Mesquite is responsible for traffic evaluations and the installation of safety devices such as flashing lights and other signs. Now that we know there are concerns, we will start the process to alert the City of Mesquite to see if there are any specific conditions that can be addressed. Our students' safety is always our highest priority, and we want to be sure we are doing all we can to provide a safe environment at our campuses.”
Salinas said neighborhood development and the addition of children in the area could worsen what she sees as an urgent problem.
