Each March for the past six years, MassDOT has been recognizing the vital local role played by school crossing guards in cities and towns across Massachusetts through its Safe Routes to School Crossing Guard Appreciation Campaign. Last week the Melrose Pedestrian & Bicyclist Committee participated in these efforts by holding a weeklong campaign at Lincoln Elementary School, on West Wyoming Avenue, where we invited local elected officials to observe a school arrival and/or dismissal time and to recognize the crossing guards who help keep Lincoln Lions and their families safe. Among the unique factors making Lincoln Elementary our committee’s choice for this year’s campaign are its extremely high walking rate (a 2024 school travel survey found that 70% of Lincoln families walk to and from school), the fact that it is the only elementary school in Melrose served by multiple modes of public transit, and the fact that it is located on the only roadway segment in Melrose categorized by the Boston Region MPO’s High-Risk Network as a “Primary Risk” site.
We used this opportunity to engage with officials and invite them to envision ways the city could holistically improve safety in this neighborhood with a priority emphasis on vulnerable road users (people walking, biking, and rolling or not protected by a vehicle). One local official expressed her concern at watching large trucks crossing into the wrong travel lane during school dropoff; another expressed surprise at how many distracted drivers he witnessed; a third described dismissal as “overwhelming” with “concern for what it would be like for a student walking from Main Street over the tracks to Lincoln, especially if the student had to cross West Wyoming to get to school.”
All who attended expressed enormous gratitude and appreciation for the often thankless work performed by our crossing guards, who perform their duties rain or shine. The Pedestrian & Bicyclist Committee looks forward to continuing to engage the city on the need to quickly and holistically improve neighborhood safety around the Lincoln, and reminds the community that arrival and dismissal times only make up around twenty minutes of every weekday, the need for safer streets in this neighborhood is 24/7. We would like to thank all of the elected officials who attended, Lincoln School Principal Patti, as well as the Committee volunteers, Lincoln families, and PTO members who helped lead the engaging and informative tours.
Members of the Melrose Pedestrian and Bicyclist Committee, Lincoln School parents, Melrose elected officials, Lincoln staff, including Principal Patti, MassDOT Safe Routes to School staff, and school crossing guards participated in the Lincoln School arrival and dismissal walking tours the week of March 23rd.