Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City is using stencils and spray paint to help keep kids safe on their way to and from school.
For example, spray painted rockets mark the children's safest path home from Diamond Ridge Elementary.
"My boys really like them," one mother said. "They like to kind of follow them and make a game out of it."
"I get excited when I see them," student Sam Anderson said, "because it makes me smile."
When school ends for the day, children might be tempted to take the quickest route across the street, when really, they should head to the nearest crosswalk. The markings on the sidewalk are supposed to make that much clearer to them.
"We just wanted to kind of highlight those safe walking paths a little bit better," said Andrew Wallentine, a management analyst.
The idea came from the city manager's office, with the help of interns, he said.
"(The idea was to) make them a little more fun, so it would kind of encourage the kids to be able to get out and walk and bike to school a little bit more," Wallentine explained.
The actual safe paths were taken from the Granite School District. Administrators at each school helped organize the paths and distribute them to parents.
"It gives the parents a peace of mind that they know that their kids are going to follow the right path to school, and not cross the road where it's dangerous," said another parent, Carrie Wheeler.
The stencils resemble the school mascots outside Monroe, Hilsdale, Carl Sandburg, and Diamond Ridge elementary schools.
"We live in the circle right there, and I think he'll just want to cross here. But he needs to know that he needs to walk all the way around," one parent said.
Many parents say a little extra help for their young ones is not a bad idea, especially when the only cost is for a bit of spray paint and a stencil pattern.
"I think it's really great," another parent said.
