Schools : Cudahy School Will Get Crosswalk, Flashing Signal

After heated debate, the Cudahy City Council has approved the placement of a crosswalk in front of Theresa Hughes Elementary School.

The council voted 3 to 2 to paint a crosswalk and install a flashing signal after several parents who feared for their children’s safety spoke to council members. Many parents drop their children off across the street from the school because parking in front of Theresa Hughes is used by school buses.

“We’ve been lucky so far no one has been hit,” a school employee said. “It’s really dangerous. The kids know they are not supposed to cross in the middle of the street but they don’t want to walk to the corner. It’s too far.”

Councilmen Joseph Fregeau and Jack Cluck were opposed to the crosswalk because the city engineer said it was too close to the corner of Otis and Clara streets, where there is a crossing guard. The crosswalk will be built about 600 feet from the corner, Fregeau said.

City staff members had recommended that the crossing guard be moved to the new crosswalk, a suggestion neither councilman liked because many children cross at the corner. The two councilmen also feared that having a crosswalk would be more dangerous than not having one because it could create a false sense of security.