A kid crossing the road was hit by driver today and this happened twice in last year.

My family and I live just across the street from Panther Creek High School in Cary, NC. Despite this close proximity, my son has to endure a 40-minute walk to reach  to school  by taking nearest safe pedestrian crossing. To make matters worse, he's not allowed to board the school bus - because we are considered  too close to provide school bus service - indeed we are !  This situation is not only inconvenient but also perilous. Due to lack of crossing, kids are crossing random places to reduce time to get to school. Teenagers, naturally impatient, often cross roads at unsafe locations and it's alarming to witness two neighboring kids getting hit by cars over the past two years. Also there is issue for crossing to get to school from our neighborhood for handicapped people. 

This is not just a personal issue; it affects the entire community. Residents here have been pleading with the Town of Cary for the past four years to address these safety concerns, but no significant actions have been taken. Just last year, there were several accidents, with at least two involving students struck by vehicles. Fortunately, these incidents were not fatal, but they serve as a stark warning.

It’s crucial that the City of Cary prioritize the safety of our children before a more serious tragedy occurs.  Just an example a Panther Creek student unfortunately got killed in intersection of highway 55 and McCrimmon Park in 2014 - helped to install left signal. Should not we be proactive not reactive? Should not city need to think about how kids will get to school when plan a neighborhood? 

The best solution, as has been clearly identified, is funding the Spot Safety Improvements initiative, specifically at McCrimmon Parkway near Panther Creek High School, project code ST3305. This initiative could potentially involve the installation of better signage, crosswalks, and traffic-calming measures. The improvement program was based on residents requests to town of Cary - but has been in hands of Mayor and City town council to act on it. 

While the city seems preoccupied with developing new neighborhoods, it's imperative to first ensure the safety of the existing ones. The community's call for safety has been consistently echoed yet unheard for too long. It's time we compel the Town of Cary to listen to its residents and take immediate action to protect our children from avoidable harm. We raised this issue four year ago and city staff did hard work to get permission from NCDT and create a plan and put that in map. But unfortunately it did not make priority list of city council for last FY. 

Please join us in urging the city to implement these crucial safety improvements before it's too late. Sign this petition to demand that the town fulfills its responsibility to safeguard our children.

UPDATE: City council women Bansal has updated that this will be funded for FY 26. Hope city will make this as priority and bring it to finished line. Meantime there should temporary measure like police presence during peak crossing hours and educations of parents or school stepping up to educate kids.