Round Rock Parents Urge Road Safety Enhancements After Another Child Is Hit By A Car

ROUND ROCK, TX -- Parents are urging city officials to enhance safety along streets close to schools after a Cedar Ridge High School student was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike last week, a television station reported -- just the latest such incident in the recent past.

The most concern is at a crossing at Gattis School Road near Double Creek Drive where the 15-year-old was hit. He's expected to make a full recovery. But just a mile to the west, Shaylah Dame, 12, died after being hit while riding her bicycle in 2010, KXAN reported.

And in March 2014, a 17-year-old student was hit while crossing the street at Gattis School Road by Double Creek Drive. The month before that, a 12-year-old was struck while riding his bike at a Round Rock Ranch crosswalk.

Despite those incidents, creating a school crosswalk to help prevent future accidents isn't as easy a process as one might think. Round Rock city officials told the station they must follow state guidelines that help determine school zones. What's more, the city is unable to create schools zones beyond 1,000 feet from a school, as is the case with the Gattis School Road and Double Creek Drive intersecion.

“The criteria has to do with what type of school is it, a high school doesn’t have the same kind of legislative requirements as a grade school or junior high does; distance, traffic patterns, traffic flows,” Gary Hudder, director of transportation for the city of Round Rock, told the station.

City officials are expected to re-evaluate the area in front of Cedar Ridge High School within the next two years, to determine if the site meets ceratin requirements, the station reported. School officials also are expected to conduct an evaluation.

>>> Read the full story at KXAN

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