KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the death of an area crossing guard top of mind, one Overland Park resident shared with the city’s public works committee his concerns about traffic near Overland Trail elementary and middle schools.
“We look at what happened in KCK 10 days ago with the crossing guard,” resident Richard Napper said. “Saved two kids’ lives, lost his own. I’m here for that reason and that reason alone.”
Napper, who lives near 133rd Street and is on a committee that has been exploring the traffic concerns, attended Wednesday’s Overland Park Public Works Committee meeting. Discussion at the meeting centered around whether additional measures should be implemented on collector streets near Blue Valley Schools to improve safety. At a meeting last October, residents expressed concerns about speeding, traffic and drivers not adhering to road signs.
City traffic engineer Brian Shields said a “number of things” could be attributed to those issues.
“Anything from people not paying attention as they’re driving – they’re in a hurry, we’ve even had people who we’ve talked to when they’ve pulled into the parking lot where they’ve turned left and they’re not supposed to,” Shields said, “and they’re like ‘Yeah, yeah I know I’m just in a hurry right now and so I’ll see you later.’”
More than a decade ago, the city removed an all-way stop at 133rd Street and Lamar Avenue, replacing it with a single-lane roundabout.
Blue Valley Schools also “relocated the driveway” during that same time frame.
“Driver feedback signs,” which display a vehicle’s actual speed, and turn-restriction signs also have been installed among other road improvements.
Some residents said the neighborhood is unique in that it gets a lot of Missouri tags, particularly in the morning and evening during rush-hour.
“Sometimes it’s not the fact that we have signs that say you should be driving 25 miles an hour, they see those,” Shields said. “They’re choosing not to drive 25 miles an hour, so what other things you need to do to actually get their attention?"
Some strategies already are being employed – like putting in a high visibility crosswalk. But for Napper, it’s not enough.
“Some of them, I think, will make absolutely, positively zero difference whatsoever. None,” Napper said. “Some, I think, can make tremendous differences. We have people bypassing 135th Street [and] using 133rd Street to get to their job or to get wherever they’re going. They are using that road, and that will not stop.”
That is why Napper said he believes speed bumps will make a difference. However, some city employees said that option isn't viable due to emergency vehicles and snow plows needing a consistent environment.
“If a kid were to be hit, who is going to get on TV with this lady or someone else and talk about why we didn’t do that because the fire truck or the ambulance or the snow plow the speed bump will slow the traffic?" Napper said.
Future recommendations include continuing enforcement efforts, reinstalling a turn-restriction sign that had been stolen and adding “high-visibility markings” to existing crosswalks among other suggestions.
Shields is expected to report back to the committee with the top three priorities of solutions to be implemented and to consult with surrounding cities to see how they calm traffic.
