Twice daily, the narrow shoulders along busy Highway 9 north and south of the six-school campus of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District are a pathway for students on bicycles or walking along the shoulder of the road.
Blind curves, slippery pavement, and step retaining walls add to the dangers posed by distracted youngsters, impatient commuters, logging and gravel trucks, and other commercial vehicles.
“The amount of traffic all day on Highway 9 and [having] no walkway make it unsafe for students to walk to school from Felton or Ben Lomond,” said SLV Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Laurie Bruton. “So far, no serious accidents have occurred, but we would like a safe walkway built for the students,” she said.
She is not alone. Parent volunteer Bryan Largay has been working on this since 2008. Largay said, “A California Highway Patrol study from 2003 to 2013 showed more than 100 car accidents in this area.”
Authorities said none of these accidents has involved student pedestrians.
School officials and parents are renewing calls for state highway officials to do something about the problem before there is an unfortunate injury or fatality.
Approximately 2,000 children attend the six schools at the Felton campus (elementary, middle school, high school and three charter schools). Of these, Largay estimated about 50 walk or bike to school each day, depending on the weather.
School officials said 500 middle and elementary school students do not qualify for school bus transportation because they live within two miles of their schools, and most are driven to school by parents. Morning traffic often backs up for more than a mile north of Felton.
Many high school students ride METRO buses up and down Highway 9.
Bruton said the school district would like to see a walkway/bike path from Fall Creek Road connecting to Farmer Street and Cooper Street to downtown Felton.
She also would like to see new curbs, new sidewalks and improvements to the bus stops, which would be curbs for storm water drainage, retaining walls and a safe pathway from the bus stop to the school.
The California Highway Patrol has expressed support for these safety measures. CalTrans has just finished work to make two Felton bus stops accessible for people with disabilities, but adding walkways or sidewalks is not in any plan.
To answer the question of funding, Largay said that County Supervisor Bruce McPherson is working with school officials to find possible grant money.
McPherson’s office said he will re-submit a proposal to CalTrans. The issue was discussed on Tuesday, May 31, at a community meeting at the SLV Performing Arts Center.
The amount of traffic all day on Highway 9 and [having] no walkway make it unsafe for students to walk to school from Felton or Ben Lomond.
