FORT GEORGE — A shortage of crossing guards has left a new elementary school without anyone to monitor a busy intersection where dozens of collisions have occurred over the past few years — worrying parents who have already experienced close calls with drivers.
The Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, at Audubon Avenue and 182nd Street, launched its elementary school program this year, beginning with pre-K and kindergarten classes. While parents said they are happy with the school, they are not impressed by the lack of safeguards for students who walk or take the bus to school.
“I’ve yelled and yelled at drivers,” said Stephanie Acosta, whose daughter attends kindergarten at WHEELS, noting she often crosses the street with a 3- and 5-year-old in tow. “I yelled at someone last week because the tire of their car actually touched the wheel of my stroller.”
Acosta said that since the beginning of the school year, parents have been concerned about the lack of a crossing guard at Audubon Avenue and 181st Street, where cars rush to get onto the highway.
“It’s very active,” said Virginia Annibale, whose son attends kindergarten at the school. "181st Street connects here to I-95, the Cross Bronx, 87. All that’s right here.”
Data from the NYPD shows there have been 30 collisions at the intersection since September 2012, injuring two pedestrians and three motorists.
Annibale said she started sending her son Miles to school on the bus in part because of the lack of a crossing guard at the site. However, pre-K students don’t have that option.
“I would feel safer with a crossing guard,” Annibale said. “It’s a nurturing presence on the street.”
Tavius Cheatham, whose son is also in kindergarten at WHEELS, said the sense of safety goes beyond traffic.
“It’s also about having extra eyes on the street,” he said. “If there are predators lurking or people hanging around who shouldn’t be, they’d probably be the first to know.”
Parents said they have reached out to the school, Community Board 12 and the 34th Precinct about the issue, but have been told the resources aren’t there to resolve the problem.
Deputy Inspector Chris Morello of the 34th Precinct said there currently aren't enough crossing guards in the precinct to assign one to the intersection. Each precinct is given a certain number of crossing guards, but all of the them have assigned to other locations.
Morello noted that the precinct has submitted a request for more crossing guards, which are employed by the NYPD.
“The next crossing guard that we get will be assigned to WHEELS,” Morello said.
But parents are tired of waiting.
“It’s silly to me,” said Acosta, who said other schools in the area have two crossing guards at nearby intersections. “You count the number of schools and get the number of crossing guards you need. Why is there a limit?”
Parents also said that the lack of a dedicated drop-off and pickup zone for buses and parents who drive their children to school presents even more safety issues.
Most schools have signs prohibiting parking in front of the building at certain times so that buses can pull alongside the curb. That's not the case at WHEELS, where students have to walk in between parked cars and step into the street to reach their buses,
“Kids shouldn’t have to walk through cars,” Cheatham said. “They should be let out of the bus straight to the front doors.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation said the agency is aware of the issue and plans to install signs restricting parking from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The school’s principal did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesman for the Department of Education said the agency is working with the NYPD and DOT to address concerns.
“Safety and security of our students is always top priority,” the spokesman said.
Parents are hopeful the changes will occur, but wonder why it’s been so difficult to get them in the first place.
“A lot of it is peace of mind,” Cheatham said. “Knowing that other schools have these things, it shouldn’t be so hard for us to get as well.”
