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6 kids in Alameda hit by cars since the start of the school year
Mounting concerns in Alameda regarding pedestrian safety near schools
ALAMEDA, Calif. - Making sure their child gets to school safely is a concern for any parent.
"I worry and have fear for our parents as they're walking their kids to school," said Love Elementary PTA President Rachel Plato.
Officials at the Alameda Unified School District confirmed that half a dozen students from at least three different schools have been struck by cars since school started in August.
"There has been at least six kids who were not as lucky and that's so scary to me. I feel horrible for those parents," said parent Lauren Gehringer. "My son and I walking home several months ago had a really close call where a car was about an inch from hitting him."
According to parents, one of the incidents happened at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street outside Love Elementary.
"It had happened early enough where everyone saw the ambulance. People were walking their kids to school and were shocked to see what had happened," Plato said.
So far, no one has been seriously injured. The district is working with the city to address the incidents. There are two school crossing signs, but parents say more are needed.
"We have four major corners for our 550 students that they cross every day and only one corner has a crossing guard," Plato said.
City officials say their immediate plan is to have a team of experts study the intersections to see if there are traffic or engineering issues. And, they will have a higher police presence.
"They're going to be doing speed and if the people are in the crosswalk and they're going to be ticketing before and after school hours at random schools," said Alameda City Manager Eric Levitt.
The city council is expected to vote on adopting a Vision Zero policy. It's a safety plan to reduce and eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.