Every morning and afternoon, Pennsylvania Avenue becomes one of the busiest and most dangerous school-zone areas in Kanawha County. Children walk to school, families are dropping off and picking up students, buses are turning, and traffic is heavy in both directions. Yet the posted school-zone speed limit in front of Elk Elementary Center remains 30 mph, which is too fast and creates serious safety risks for young children.

In addition to the elementary school, there is also a daycare located directly along Pennsylvania Avenue inside the same school zone. This means even more families with infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children are walking or driving in and out of the area every day. These youngest children are the most vulnerable, and a 30 mph speed limit is not acceptable in a zone with babies, toddlers, and school-age children present.

Residents, parents, and school staff have witnessed numerous wrecks in this exact stretch of road, and many families no longer feel safe traveling through the school zone. A recent serious accident involving a local parent further highlights how urgent this situation is. Without changes, these crashes will continue — and it is only a matter of time before someone, possibly a child, is seriously injured.

We are calling for the West Virginia Division of Highways (District 1), Kanawha County Schools, and the City of Charleston to take immediate action by:

• Reducing the school-zone speed limit from 30 mph to 15 mph

• Installing flashing school-zone lights to alert drivers

• Adding additional warning signage and pavement markings

• Improving crosswalk visibility and safety features

• Expanding the protected school-zone area to fully include both the elementary school and the daycare

• Increasing traffic enforcement during school hours

Both Elk Elementary Center and the daycare serve young children who depend on adults to keep them safe. Slowing down traffic and adding proper alerts to drivers can prevent future accidents and protect the children, families, and staff who travel this road every day.

We ask state and local officials to prioritize a Traffic Safety Study immediately and to implement the needed safety improvements without delay. The children of this community deserve a safe school zone — and that starts with lowering the speed and improving visibility on Pennsylvania Avenue.