Slow down traffic on S. James Avenue

When the initial work began on the widening of Maize Road, school traffic was necessarily diverted west on 45th Street and then back north on James Avenue to get to the schools in that area. Since the completion of the Maize Road project most of that diverted school traffic has continued to use James Avenue, including many school buses, to reach the schools. Irma is now available, has sidewalks for pedestrian safety, and is a wider, more well-suited street to allow for the extra traffic.

James Avenue, between 45th Street and Irma, is narrow with no curbs & gutters or sidewalks, and barely enough room for two cars to pass each other. It was not constructed for the type of traffic it is experiencing. Drivers (including school bus drivers) turn the corner from 45th onto James with their gas pedals to the floor, as evidenced by the noise from the engines. By the time they get a couple of houses down, most of them are traveling well above the 30 mph speed limit, and putting residents and walking school children in danger.

There have been numerous times when an accident was only barely missed due to the traffic and its speed in our neighborhood, and at least one instance where a neighbor was rear-ended by incoming traffic when simply trying to get out of their own driveway. It is increasingly difficult to get out of our driveways during incoming and outgoing school traffic, and with the variety of begin and end times for the various schools, that amounts to several hours of each day.