Fargo mom worried for kids' safety getting to school in Deer Creek

(KVLY)
Published: Aug. 23, 2019 at 6:11 PM CDT
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With the first day of school less than a week away for students in West Fargo, one mom is raising concerns that there aren't enough safety measures for kids crossing the street in Deer Creek.

"There's not a slow down for children sign, there's not any sort of blinking lights there's not school zone at all. There's nothing!" Sarah Kliner said.

Kliner lives lives kitty-corner to the new Deer Creek Elementary School, which should have been one less thing to stress about for the mom of five. However, she says it's all she can think about.

"Kids don't always listen, so they're gonna wanna find a break in the traffic and run. That's how someone is going to get hit by a car," Kliner said.

Deer Creek Parkway is the only road in the neighborhood that will get drivers to 52nd Ave.— A road Kliner says is always busy and has a speeding problem.

"It's really frustrating!"

It's also the road kids will be crossing come next Tuesday, and as of right now, there is the only marked crosswalk at Deer Creek Parkway and 56th Ave. There are no signs alerting of the crosswalk, rather, painted lines across the streets.

"I was hoping for something along the lines of blinking lights or something closer to the school," Kliner said.

Kliner says kids on her street will have to walk a block backwards, cross the street and then start the trek to school. She says it would be easier and safer if more crosswalks and signs were put up around the neighborhood.

"How many kids, honestly from this whole side, the northern side, are going to walk all the way back there if they could cross right here. If they could do it safely?" Kliner said.

Fargo Police say they will be increasing the amount of patrols in the area once school starts, and the City of Fargo says they're adding school zone signs on Monday, but Kliner says she still wants more.

"I just don't want to see someone get hit by a car because all we have are some white lines on the road instead of something closer to the school that are like, 'Hey! There's kids here!'" Kliner said.

The City of Fargo also tells us they will be adding orange flags to the four-way stop signs on Deer Creek Parkway and 56th Ave., to draw more attention to them. They say cross walk signage will be added around the area once the planned bike trail is installed.