COLORADO SPRINGS — The City of Colorado Springs has been at work to establish school zones at high schools across the city. This comes following extensive reporting by News 5 following the death of a Doherty high school student in 2023.
20-mile-per-hour school zones are coming to several middle and high schools across Colorado Springs this fall.
Before, only the streets around elementary schools had school zones.
School District 11's Doherty High School was the first high school to have one installed in the spring of 2023 after a student was hit and killed walking to class.
Assistant principal, Hillary Hienton, told me its made a huge difference in drivers slowing down and being more cautious of pedestrians.
"I think the tragedy that we faced that brought these school zones to us and now other schools, the students [here] feel ownership over that," said Heinton.
It's been a full school year since the city's traffic team installed the school zoneat Doherty. Heinton said students have been keeping each other in check while driving or walking to class.
Heinton said the school zone flashes during drop-off, pick-up and lunch times.
The city plans to install a school zone at Mitchell High School this fall.
"It would be relieving to think I don't have to worry as much, I'd like to hope it's monitored often," said a Mitchell parent of two seniors, Tim Johnson.
"When we put out a new school zone, we inform the police department and what they'll do is they'll put out some enforcement for the first week or two," said the city's traffic engineer, Todd Frisbie.
Frisbie said more than 20 middle and high schools qualify for a school zone. "If you're 35 miles per hour or more on the adjacent streets then the school qualifies for a school zone."
Frisbie said some middle and high schools in D2, D20 and D49 can expect to either have school zones operational or installed too.
Here's a look at when some southern Colorado school districts will head back to school:
Back to school start dates for some southern Colorado school districts
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