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Truckee seeking funding for school crosswalks

Greyson Howard
Sierra Sun
Emma Garrard/Sierra Sun file photoVehicles wait as three students walk across a crosswalk on Donner Pass Road to get to school.
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TRUCKEE ” The Town of Truckee is applying for state funding to improve safety around schools on Donner Pass Road.

The application is for Safe Routes to Schools funding for about $72,000, with 10 percent matching contribution from the town in the form of crosswalk work.

“I’d definitely say the odds of getting the grant are better than previous applications because of the community support and involvement,” said Dennis Troy, assistant planner for the town. “We’re looking to make Donner Pass Road a safer place for members of the community walking to school, businesses, and eating establishments.”



The crosswalks and other work are planned for Donner Pass Road from the Shell gas station to Wild Cherries, covering Truckee Elementary, Truckee High School, and the Sierra Mountain Education Center, Troy said.

While the town has committed to five thermoplastic-striped crosswalks ” which should last longer and stay more visible than paint ” the grant would fund solar-powered pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalk signals, solar powered speed limit signs that tell drivers how fast they are going, temporary signs in the middle of the street like those found near the hospital in the summer, and bike racks for the schools, Troy said.



“[Truckee Health Challenge] did a walkability audit with members of the community and the Mousehole and this area came up,” said Devin Bradley, health educator with Nevada County Public Health.

Truckee High School Principal John Neary said he is very supportive of the proposed work.

“I think it’s terrific. We have kids running back and forth all the time,” Neary said. “Stopping at a light isn’t going to delay drivers more than a minute or two, and a kid’s life is worth a whole lot more than that.”

Troy said regardless of whether the town is awarded the grant, public works will put down the new crosswalks this summer.

The town has partnered with Truckee Health Challenge 2013 ” a group including the Truckee Trails Foundation, Nevada County Health Department, Mountain Area Preservation Foundation, Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation, Community Collaborative of Truckee Tahoe, and the Family Resource Center.


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