New fence approved to increase traffic safety in front of Folsom High School
FOLSOM — More than 120 people have died in vehicle crashes so far this year in Sacramento County. Now, one local city is taking new steps to keep kids safe while walking to school.
Folsom High is one of the biggest campuses in the region with more than 2,900 students, but there's concern that some of these kids could get hit by cars right in front of their own school.
Out front is Iron Point Road, a busy street crowded with kids—but not everyone uses the crosswalk.
"It's rather chaotic. Kids cut diagonally across the street," said Lynda Dobson, who was picking up her grandchild from school on Tuesday.
Zach Bosch with the City of Folsom's Public Works department said some students jaywalk across the lanes of traffic into the path of oncoming cars.
"They would cross wherever they felt it was most convenient and that could be in between the blocks, certainly not an area we want pedestrians crossing," Bosch said.
Folsom police say one student was even hit by a car along this road in 2021 and received minor injuries.
"This school was not well designed for picking up kids after school or dropping them off in the morning," Dobson said.
Now, city leaders have approved a new measure to prevent these dangerous crossings. The city is now building a five-foot-tall iron fence in the center median of Iron Point Road, approximately a quarter mile long.
Traffic engineers say the new barrier will stop students from cutting across the road outside of the crosswalk.
"It's definitely a height someone could not easily jump over," Bosch said.
"I think anything to prevent jaywalking and for the safety of the children is a good idea," Dobson said.
The new fence will be similar to the one along Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights near San Juan High School. It will cost more than $180,000 with money coming from Measure A traffic safety funds.
The city will begin installing the new fence next month, and it should be completed by the end of the year.
