City reminds drivers of school zone safety as school year begins

Contact Information

• Nancy Nichols, Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator, 970-416-2357, [email protected]

• Tyler Stamey, City Traffic Engineer, , [email protected]

As Poudre School District begins the 2022-23 school year this week, the City of Fort Collins would like to remind drivers to use caution in school zones and be mindful of increased traffic, pedestrians, and bicycles around schools in the city.

"While we always encourage safe and defensive driving habits, we want to remind drivers to be extra cautious around school start and release times to help us keep our youngest Fort Collins residents safe," said Tyler Stamey, the City's traffic engineer.

Drivers should be mindful of school buses and Transfort buses dropping off and picking up students, pedestrian and bike crossings that see increased use during the school year, and school zone speed limits.

"We want to make sure Poudre School District students have a safe and enjoyable school year," said Nancy Nichols, the City's Safe Routes to School coordinator. "We work with PSD throughout the year and encourage students, parents, and other community members to take advantage of the programs we offer."

The City offers several resources to help parents and students plan pedestrian and bicycle routes to school, including:

• The Safe Routes to School program (www.fcgov.com/saferoutes),
• Bike maps (www.fcgov.com/bikemaps),
• Information on the City's Low-Stress Bike Network (https://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/fort-collins-bike-network),
• And free educational programming that focus on roadway safety for both kids and adults. Courses for adults such as Smart Cycling and Bicycle Friendly Driver can be found at engage.fcgov.com.

In addition, the City continues to expand safe pedestrian and bicycle crossings around the community, including crossings at Columbia and Lemay, Magnolia and Shields, and Hampshire and Drake - all of which have been installed in the last couple years.

Further, two new PSD schools will open for this school year outside the City - Timnath Middle-High School off Prospect Road east of I-25, and Wellington Middle-High School in Wellington - both of which will introduce new traffic patterns in those areas.