A high school parking lot - with new drivers, intense morning and afternoon rushes and lots of distracted young pedestrians - is a dangerous place in the best of times. The Denver South High School parking lot is especially hazardous and congested because of problematic traffic flow.

Denver Public Schools is addressing signage and traffic flow issues within the parking lot, as weather permits.  But the City and County of Denver should make further improvements on the surrounding streets to support these parking lot improvements on DPS property.  Specifically, we support:

• More signage for the crosswalk at East Louisiana Avenue and South Gilpin Street. Many drivers currently do not stop for students entering the crosswalk.  This increased signage should include a flashing crosswalk sign that can be activated by pedestrians. Alternatively, a flashing sign should be automatically activated around the start and end of the school day, as well as during the lunch period. The new sign in the center line of East Louisiana Ave was poorly located and has already been knocked over.
• The timing of the light at East Louisiana Avenue and South Franklin Street needs to be adjusted to address the backups during congested pick-up and drop-off times. 
• Crosswalks and prominent signage and flashing lights should be added to South Franklin Street and East Arkansas Ave to reflect where students actually cross these streets west of the school.

We urge Denver to take these further actions immediately to ensure the safety of Denver South students.