Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

Login Options

7:40 p.m. • 2-10-12

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Sat: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 52° F
  • Sun: Clear.
    • Hi: 43° F
  • Mon: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 50° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image

Marketplace Links

Social Links

Main Menu

Cary Looks To Slow Drivers In School Zones


e-mail print friendly

A week after a student was struck by a car near Green Hope High School, town officials are trying to get the speed limits lowered around many local schools.

Andrew Shurney, 17, was crossing Carpenter-Upchurch Road in front of Green Hope High on Sept. 25 when he was hit by a passing car. Shurney was released from Duke University Hospital on Tuesday and is recovering at home.

No charges have been filed against the driver in the case, but many residents have complained that the speed limit along that stretch of road is 45 mph.

Steven Gebeaux has been lobbying Cary officials to lower speed limits around schools to come into compliance with a town ordinance that mandates a 25 mph limit in school zones.

Gebeaux worries about his 7-year-old son riding his bike to Carpenter Elementary School on a road where cars travel at 35 mph.

"We've been very concerned that, (at) 35 mph, there's just not enough leeway in case there is an accident," he said. "If they're going 35 mph and they hit someone, it just seems to be a little bit too fast."

The Cary Operations Committee approved a plan Wednesday that calls for all 11 public schools on Cary-controlled roads, including Carpenter Elementary, to have 25 mph speed limits. The ordinance will be presented to the Town Council on Oct. 12.

Cary officials also want to work with the state Department of Transportation to improve safety in schools zones on state roads, such as Carpenter-Upchurch Road. They are considering everything from lowering speed limits and upgrading signage to installing flashing lights and crosswalks.

"We don't necessarily own the road. We don't control the schools and where to build them necessarily. However, there are Cary kids going to these schools, and we just came to the realization that it's important to try to do something about this," said Tim Bailey, Cary's chief engineer.

Cary officials plan to meet with representatives of the DOT and Wake County Schools to talk specifically about how to make the area around Green Hope High safer.

"The town of Cary is finally taking the right step and showing that they do care about the citizens, especially the youngest citizens," Gebeaux said.

RELATED TOPICS: Public Schools, Cary, Wake County, Duke University

e-mail print friendly

0 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

View Comments 0 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

View Comments 0 COMMENTS
Report It

Multimedia

Click Here