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Crosswalk remains issue at Productive Alternatives
Published Friday, October 12, 2007
When the weather is nice, Pauline Frazee’s daughter likes to walk home after her day at Productive Alternatives.
“But the traffic has gotten so terrible, we don’t let her walk anymore,” Frazee said. “We pick her up.”
Frazee, her husband, Fremont, and other family members who have loved ones attending PA, believe there is a need for a pedestrian crossing on Tower Road near PA. Productive Alternatives provides jobs for persons with disabilities. Past requests for a crosswalk have been denied. Information collected by the city show it could give pedestrians a false sense of security, Public Works Engineer Clif Allen said.
Families appealed to the Public Works and Safety Committee Thursday to study the possibility of a crosswalk across from Productive Alternatives. No action was taken or required. They also brought their concerns to the City Council last month.
There is a crosswalk on the corner of Fir and Tower Road, but Maryjane Westra, whose sister is a Productive Alternatives client, estimates it’s about a half-mile out of the way from Productive Alternatives. Some walk to the bus garage to catch a ride, but that is across the street from Productive Alternatives. A crosswalk directly across from Productive Alternatives would make more sense, family members contend.
“The residents who appealed to the committee have other ideas, whether it’s sidewalks, bike paths or whatever,” Allen said. “We’ve been asked to study the request further. There is no formal date anticipated when we’ll come back with any kind of an answer.”
“It’s not a new issue,” said Steve Skauge, Productive Alternatives president. “It’s one of those issues that hasn’t been addressed very well. It’s not just the crossing. There’s no bike path or sidewalk there. I know a lot of regulations go into the process. But it would be nice to have a good, thorough study to see what we can do.”
“If a study showed it was more dangerous to have a crosswalk, I suppose we’d have to do something else,” said Maryjane Westra, whose sister is a Productive Alternatives client. “But I’d have a hard time believing it’s dangerous.”
Productive Alternatives clients don’t have the same ability to judge distance or how far away a car is, Westra said.
“It’s posted at 40 mph and there’s a lot of traffic,” Skauge said. “I’ve crossed it myself more than once and to judge those cars is tricky.”
“It’s for the safety of all of the clients,” Frazee said, “whether they walk or not and for those who have businesses there.”
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by woundedduck (anonymous) on October 12, 2007 at 2:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"A false sense of security." If that is the argument then aren't all crosswalks A false sense of security. Don't we have an obligation to protect our community members? I suppose we could wait until somebody gets hurt. Retroactive thinking is generally the best approach.
Posted by wendies43 (anonymous) on October 13, 2007 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Like I said before, a light (like the one by the middle school) would be perfect. Only goes off when there is a walker pushing the button. Or how about a overhead enclosed walking brigde??? For saying they have to walk to the light down on Fir is ridiculous, as they would not only be walking on the shoulder of the road BUT would have to cross the railroad tracks TOO! Let's spend alittle money on our disabled citizens of Fergus Falls and surrounding areas!!!
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