DEFENDERS
DEFENDERS TONIGHT-- ABOUT THE SAFETY OF YOUR KIDS WALKING
TO AND FROM SCHOOL.
SIGNS THAT WARN DRIVERS TO SLOW
DOWN - AREN'T ALL
AROUND A LOT OF CENTRAL TEXAS
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER BRAD
STREICHER TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS SPENT MORE
THAN TWO MONTHS MAPPING OUT EVERY SCHOOL ZONE IN AUSTIN
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DISTRICT.
OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND GAPS IN
THE SCHOOL
ZONES THAT SURROUND DOZENS OF
THE SCHOOLS YOUR
KIDS GO TO.
AND THE CITY'S EXPLANATION. HAS
EVEN TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERS SCRATCHING THEIR
HEADS.
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL SAFE
AND THAT'S NOT SAFE AT ALL."
HEATHER CAVAZOS LIVES ABOUT A
BLOCK AWAY FROM OAK SPRINGS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TWO OF HER
KIDS WALK TO SCHOOL THERE
EVERY DAY.
SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT SAFETY
AROUND
AROUND THE SCHOOL. BECAUSE THOSE STREETS HAVE BEEN IN THE NEWS BEFORE.
NATS
BEFORE. NATS : "A FIVE YEAR OLD HIT BY A CAR
ON HIS WAY TO SCHOOL."
NATS
: "POLICE SAY THE DRIVER OF THIS
WHITE TRUCK FAILED TO STOP
AND HIT A CHILD NEAR THE
WEBBERVILLE AND BEDFORD
INTERSECTION."
"WE HEARD A LOUD BOOM AND WE
THOUGHT IT WAS A GUNSHOT. BUT
WHEN WE CAME OUTSIDE. IT WAS A
14-YEAR-OLD WHO GOT HIT ON A
SKATEBOARD."
TWO CARS HITTING TWO KIDS. IN
JUST TWO YEARS. THAT HISTORY OF
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IS WHY
HEATHER'S WORRIED ABOUT
WHAT WE UNCOVERED.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS MAPPED OUT
EVERY SCHOOL
ZONE IN AISD. OF ABOUT 120
SCHOOLS. WE FOUND MORE THAN
HALF DON'T HAVE SCHOOL ZONE
SIGNS COVERING THE ENTIRE
PERIMETER OF THE SCHOOL. A LOT
OF THEM STOP SHORT. AND SOME
STREETS DON'T HAVE SCHOOL ZONE
SIGNS AT ALL.
OAK SPRINGS ELEMENTARY IS JUST
ONE SCHOOL THAT FALLS ON
THAT LIST. IT SITS ON THREE
STREETS--OAK SPRINGS DRIVE.
WEBBERVILLE ROAD. AND GOODWIN
AVENUE.
ON WEBBERVILLE ROAD. WE SEE AN
END SCHOOL ZONE SIGN HERE. WELL
BEFORE
BEFORE A
BEFORE A CROSSWALK KIDS USE. OAK SPRINGS DRIVE HAS A SCHOOL ZONE THAT STOPS HERE.
RIGHT BEFORE THE TRACK AND THIS
LINE THAT MAKES IT LEGAL FOR
KIDS TO
CROSS THE STREET.
AND ON GOODWIN AVENUE. RIGHT
NEXT TO THE FRONT OF THE
SCHOOL. NO SCHOOL ZONE SIGNS
TELLING DRIVERS TO SLOW
DOWN AT ALL. BUT HERE'S VIDEO
SHOWING YOU HOW MANY KIDS AND
FAMILIES CROSS HERE EVERY DAY.
"I MEAN, THE SCHOOL ZONE SHOULD
END AFTER THE SCHOOL. YOU
KNOW, IT SHOULD COVER THE WHOLE
SCHOOL."
A LOT OF AISD SCHOOLS HAVE SIGNS
LIKE THIS BEFORE
CROSSWALKS. BUT THEY DON'T SAY
'SCHOOL ZONE' OR NOTE A LOWER
SPEED LIMIT. WE EXPLAINED WHAT
WE FOUND IN OUR INVESTIGATION TO
TWO TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS
FROM UT AUSTIN.
INCLUDING CHANDRA BHAT.
"I HAVE TO SAY THIS, I AM
SURPRISED THAT SO MANY SCHOOLS
ARE NOT HAVING SCHOOL ZONES
DESIGNATED VERY CLOSE TO THEIR
PROPERTY LINES."
SCHOOL ZONES USUALLY DESIGNATE
SLOWER SPEEDS.
AND MOST STUDIES SHOW EVEN A 10
MILE-AN-HOUR DIFFERENCE IN
SPEED CAN SAVE A KID HIT BY A
CAR.
"WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
ANYTHING WE PUT OUT THERE IS A
FOCUSED CROSSING, IT'S ACTIVE,
IT'S RESPECTED BY
EVERYBODY ON THE STREET."
ERIC BOLLICH FROM THE CITY SAYS
THEY FOLLOW NATIONAL BEST
PRACTICES WHEN THEY SET SCHOOL
ZONES. THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHOOL
ZONES START BEFORE A
CROSSWALK OR A SCHOOL'S
PROPERTY LINE. WHICHEVER COMES
FIRST. BUT AUSTIN OFFICIALS
SAID THEY SET SCHOOL ZONES BASED
ON
DISTANCE FROM CERTAIN CROSSWALKS
AT THE SCHOOL. AND
THAT CAN LEAVE DOZENS OF AISD
SCHOOL ZONES WITHOUT CAMPUS
PERIMETERS COMPLETELY COVERED.
"CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE CITY'S
HESITATION WOULD BE TO JUST
EXTEND
THE SCHOOL ZONE A LITTLE BIT
FURTHER?"
"WELL, CERTAINLY IF WE'RE
EXTENDING THE SCHOOL ZONE JUST
FOR THE SAKE OF EXTENDING IT.
WE'D PROBABLY FIND THAT WOULD
RESULT
RESULT IN
RESULT IN LESS COMPLIANCE FOR THE SCHOOL ZONES. BUT THE LATEST STUDY ON SCHOOL
ZONE
ZONE SPEEDS FROM THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE SHOWS TEXAS POLICE OFFICERS DON'T
FEEL THE SAME WAY. 77 PERCENT OF
OFFICERS INTERVIEWED IN
THE REPORT SAID MOST OF THE
TIME. DRIVERS COMPLY WITH
LOWER SPEED LIMITS IN SCHOOL
ZONES. AND UT TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEER KARA KOCKELMAN SAYS
FEAR OF NONCOMPLIANCE
ISN'T A GOOD REASON TO KEEP
SCHOOL ZONES SHORT.
"YEAH, IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ONLY
SET LAWS THAT YOU KNOW WILL BE
COMPLIED WITH, YOU KNOW? YOU
REALLY WANT TO SET THEM BASED
ON SAFETY IN THIS CASE AND
NOTIFYING DRIVERS TO
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IS ALWAYS
A GOOD THING,
REGARDLESS."
KOCKELMAN SAYS THE GAPS IN
SCHOOL ZONE SIGNS WE FOUND
COULD
COULD BE
COULD BE A BIG SAFETY CONCERN FOR PARENTS AND KIDS. "IT'S NOT HARD TO PUT PAINT ON
THE GROUND THAT SAYS, 'SCHOOL
AHEAD' OR USE SPEED HUMPS ON
THOSE CROSS-STREETS THAT MAY
NOT GET A LOT OF TRAFFIC, BUT WE
STILL NEED TO MAKE SURE
PEOPLE ARE BRINGING THEIR SPEEDS
DOWN.
THE CITY IS ACTUALLY THINKING OF
MAKING CHANGES LIKE
THAT TO GULLETT ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL IN NORTH AUSTIN. THE KVUE
DEFENDERS REPORTED SCHOOL ZONE
GAPS AT THAT SCHOOL BACK IN
SEPTEMBER. A FEW WEEKS AFTER OUR
REPORT. THE CITY IS LOOKING INTO
ADDING A CROSSWALK AND EXTENDING
THE SCHOOL ZONE.
23:00 "DO YOU SEE ADDED BENEFIT
TO KIDS' SAFETY BY THE CITY
CONSIDERING AND POSSIBLY
IMPLEMENTING MORE
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL ZONES?"
"ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE
EXPLORED.
AND PARENTS LIKE HEATHER CAVAZOS
ALSO TOLD US THEY'D LIKE TO SEE
SCHOOL ZONES THAT AT LEAST COVER
THE PERIMETER OF THEIR KIDS'
SCHOOLS.
"IT WILL ALERT THEM, YOU KNOW.
THEY'LL SEE THAT AND THEY'LL
SAY,
HEY. BUT IF THEY DON'T SEE IT
THEN THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KNOW.
BUT ONCE THEY SEE IT, THEN THEIR
MIND CLICKS TO IT, AND THEN
THEY'LL
KNOWSCHOOL ZONE, OH HEY, LET ME
SLOW DOWN."
WE RECOMMEND YOU LOOK AT THE
SCHOOL ZONES AROUND YOUR
CHILD'S SCHOOL. IF YOU SEE ANY
GAPS. LET US KNOW AND LET THE
CITY KNOW. AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION
OFFICIALS SAY YOU CAN SEND
COMPLAINTS OR CONCERNS THROUGH
THE CITY'S 311 SYSTEM.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS. BRAD
STREICHER. KVUE NEWS.
IF
IF YOU
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT THE DEFENDERS TO INVESTIGATE. WE WANT TO HEAR
FROM YOU.
CALL US AT THE NUMBER YOU SEE ON
YOUR SCREEN. OR
EMAIL US AT DEFENDERS-