Crossing guard Sandy Byron spoke at the Flossmoor Board of Trustees meeting on March 6 to make a request. She wants the village to put three stop signs at the intersection of Lawrence Crescent and Scott Crescent.
Byron is a longtime Flossmoor resident and has lived on Lawrence Crescent across from Heather Hill School for 22 years, she told the board, so she’s familiar with the shenanigans of hurrying parents dropping off their children in the mornings.
But she’s new to the crossing guard business, and that has given her a fresh appreciation for the danger posed by erratic and speeding driving behaviors.
“I’ve witnessed all kinds of driving,” she said. “I’m now a crossing guard. I got a little bit more than I bargained for.”
On Feb. 7 she was helping a child cross the street when she was almost hit by a speeder.
“Somebody was late. I stepped out in the walk, I held up my sign, and they just pulled through,” she said, estimating the car was going about 45 miles per hour.
Byron is the kind of crossing guard who knows her kids. She greets them by name, asks them why they aren’t wearing their gloves on a cold, wet day. She also knows the cars of drivers who regularly drive dangerously past her corner.
“People know I will protect the children, but I can’t stop the speeders,” she said. “I invite you to my corner. I want you to see the traffic that goes on (there).”
Before the meeting, Mayor Michelle Nelson had taken Byron up on her invitation. On March 1, Nelson posted a message on Facebook describing her visit and offering safety reminders for drivers.
- Cell phones are prohibited in school zones.
- The speed limit is 20 mph in our local school zones, but when children are present, it doesn’t hurt to slow down even more.
- U-turns on busy streets are not a good idea.
- Letting your child out of the car in the middle of a similarly busy street creates a dangerous situation for your child and backs up traffic (use the drop-off lane).
- Slow down at all crosswalks, especially during school arrival and dismissal.
“Let’s all do our part to help improve school safety,” Nelson said in her post.
In an email to the Chronicle, Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said the village has heard Byron’s request and is exploring the possibility of adding the stop signs she requested.
“We have talked to Sandy about her concerns, and we take them seriously,” she said. “We have asked our engineers to complete a traffic study of this intersection to determine if a three-way stop is warranted.”
She said the village had installed some additional signage on the north side of Lawrence Crescent to remind drivers that pulling over to drop off or pick up children is not allowed there.
Flossmoor police have increased patrols at arrival and dismissal times when they can, she said.