SHAWNEE, Kan. — Besides the stop signs at the intersection of West 55th Street and Rosehill Road, there are several other signs letting drivers know to slow down for pedestrians and bicyclists.
People who live around the intersection say many drivers ignore them.
“I told my wife eventually somebody is going to get hurt,” Steven Lee, a homeowner said.
That time came Tuesday, Sept. 11, when Lee heard the moment a car struck a 12-year-old boy riding his bike to Ray Marsh Elementary.
“It looked like he was cut up pretty good," Lee said. "I happened to look at the car that was parked over here and the windshield was shattered where he hit it. Thankfully had a helmet on."
Paramedics took the sixth grader to get treated for minor injuries.
Lee said the crash points to an ongoing issue.
“There are people who treat this like a drag strip. They’ll blow right through the stop sign right here,” Lee said.
“It’s usually east to west that they’re blowing through. I don’t know what the deal is. I don’t know if it sneaks up on them,” Jesse Foulk, another homeowner said.
Some people would like to see a crossing guard at the intersection.
“If people are running the stop sign or going too fast in that area, they need something to protect the children,” Georgia Coleman, whose granddaughter attends Ray Marsh Elementary said.
There is already a crossing guard by the school and another at Johnson Drive and Rosehill Road.
But the city of Shawnee said Wednesday the intersection at 55th and Rosehill doesn’t make the cut.
READ: Shawnee Crossing Guard Policy
“What we look at is the total number of pedestrians crossing that sidewalk and also conflicting traffic and under our policy that intersection does not warrant a crossing guard at this time,” Shawnee Transportation Manager Kevin Manning said.
Another proposed solution by homeowners could include a stoplight, but the city says that might not solve the problem.
“Putting in a traffic signal when one is not warranted can actually increase crashes,” Manning said.
Shawnee Police told 41 Action News they conduct enforcement at this intersection when officers have available time.
According to a police spokesperson, in the last five years, there have been two incidents at 55th and Rosehill: A rear-end crash and the crash from Tuesday, which is serious enough that the city will examine the intersection once again.
The city said the review will take a month to complete.
