After decades of ill repair and depreciation, Holt High School is moving into its new building this month, but there’s just one problem...

Anyone who has traveled Crescent Ridge Road on a regular basis knows that it is filled with curves and hills. Even though the speed limit isn’t very high, there are numerous blind spots from adjacent roadways that often make it difficult for area residents to safely enter Crescent Ridge.

With the school being located off Keene Drive and 44th Court, it’s obvious that motorists will use Keene Drive and maybe Elm Drive to get to and from the school.  Imagine car riders (or student drivers), buses, and school personnel in travel.  Add to that the people who live in surrounding neighborhoods or motorists who take Crescent Ridge to Jack Warner Parkway in their daily routes.

That’s a lot of traffic, right?

Now, here’s what you probably didn’t know… As of now, there is no plan to include a traffic light at the junction of Keene Drive and Crescent Ridge Road.  It is said that there will be road striping to encourage motorists to slow down.

A snippet from an email, discussing plans:

Please see the attached drawing that shows proposed improvements at the intersection that are currently under construction by County Forces.

These improvements will also include widening and striping on Keene Drive in addition to the restriping configuration of Crescent Ridge that will include a designated left turn lane onto Keene Drive.
This new striping configuration on Crescent Ridge Rd should also reduce the speeds of the pass through traffic.

The traffic study that was done by Skipper Consulting have indicated that a traffic light is not warranted at this intersection based on the projected traffic that will be generated by the school.

Once the school opens we can place traffic counters and also monitor intersection performance in order to determine if any additional measures beyond what is currently being constructed will be needed.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need any additional information.

*Blank stare*

Are you kidding?  Not even a speed bed?  PAINT???  We’re relying on paint to keep our children safe?  To prevent collisions between those attempting to enter Crescent Ridge Road and those driving down Crescent Ridge?  PAINT. And we’re not even going to talk about Elm Dr NE.  If your vehicle doesn’t go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, it’s ALREADY a major risk.

Why wait for something to happen or almost happen before establishing more safety? (And isn't this the same general area where a Tuscaloosa city bus was involved in a fatal wreck just last week?)

Would a light be an inconvenience to those who love the option of speeding down Crescent Ridge when they’re running late?  Absolutely!  But guess what… It SHOULD be!

If schools in other high-traffic areas are deserving of the safety a traffic light brings, so are the children at Holt High School!

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