In early September, students received a survey from their seminar teacher, asking how they would get home after school, which could ultimately lead to the possibility of sidewalks being installed here at Southeast through the Safety Routes to School Initiative.
“We’re collecting, one: do your students that attend this school, do they walk, bike, ride a skateboard, Scooter, to school? If not, why?” Kim Negrete, Multi Modal Transportation Safety Planner at the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization said, “Just finding out those barriers as to why families do not engage in more active transportation, such as walking or biking to school.”
Southeast, along with 21 other schools in Wichita have found themselves in the surveys provided by the Wichita area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) due to its isolation from the city.
“Since the development of the school and the building of the school, we knew there would need to be additional infrastructure,” Negrete said, “it’s in a more undeveloped area of the city, so there’s not those sidewalks and everything that’s been there for decades.”
However, the possible installation of sidewalks would mean students living in the neighborhoods surrounding Southeast would no longer be eligible to ride the bus to and from school.
“You have students living really close to the school, basically across the street, but they have access to bus transportation due to the lack of infrastructure and sidewalks,” Julia Hutchison, Field Services Assistant Supervisor of Transportation at Wichita Public Schools said, “there’s not a safe walk path for those students, even though they live right across the street, they qualify for bus transportation, and that is a huge cost for the district.”
Although it makes sense not only logistically, but in terms of student safety, the possibility of sidewalk installation would be an inconvenience to students like Brigid Costello (12), who live in the neighborhoods by Southeast, and currently ride the bus.
“I have to walk home on Wednesdays sometimes,” Costello said, “I would hate to wake up earlier to make it to school on time.”
As of now, there is no estimated date or cost for sidewalk installation, but to stay updated with any upcoming changes, you can visit wampo.org/srts for more information.
