HANNIBAL, MO. -- UPDATED: Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
Dr. William Dannenberg and his son Chirs will meet with the Hannibal Traffic committe at 10 a.m. this morning. KHQA's Jim Whitfield will have reaction from that meeting tonight on KHQA's news at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
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UPDATED: Oct. 12 at 11:45 a.m.
A pair of Hannibal residents will meet with the Hannibal Traffic Committee on Monday Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. They will be handing out flyers to students this afternoon as they walk home from school. The pair is asking parents to attend the meeting and voice their concerns. Here is a copy of the flyer:
Citizens for Our Safe School Zone
Dear Neighbors,
We are Dr. William Dannenberg and his son, Chris Dannenberg. We live at 1506 Broadway here in Hannibal. Dad and I have resided here since 2005. We are both certified teachers in MO. We are dismayed by the lack of security our kids should enjoy in an attempt to cross Broadway on their way to school. Speeders blow past the local School Bus at loading time even when caution lights are flashing. As you may have seen, WGEM and KHQA have presented the story of our fight to bring a School Zone for our kids to cross Broadway at the intersection of Broadway and Houston. Please join us for the Traffic Committee meeting at Hannibal City Hall on Oct. 17 at 10:00 am. If you can’t make the meeting, please call City Hall @ 221-0111 Ext. 210 and ask for Brian Chaplin, the Hannibal Traffic Committee Chair and register your complaint. Even our Elementary kids have written a letter to express their concerns. Your Parental Voices will make the difference! Local TV stations said they would be at the meeting to do a Follow-up.
Sincerely,
Cris Dannenberg
1506 Broadway
Hannibal, MO
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Hundreds of children walk to school every day in Hannibal.
But some residents are concerned kids may be in jeopardy in one high traffic section of Broadway.
Concerned resident William Dannenberg is taking the safety of kids in his neighborhood into his own hands.
Some call him the eagle eye - others the guardian of the neighborhood. But no matter what you call him, William Dannenberg is here on his front porch rain or shine. Watching out for children making their way to school at Eugene Field elementary...and video taping drivers breaking the law at the intersection of Broadway and Houston.
With speeding cars, kids have to run to make it across the street.
That's why he's taken it upon himself to guard these kids from his make-shift watch tower. He's voiced his concerns to the police department and the school district. School business Manager Dana Ruhl says the district did follow up on concerns more than a year ago and monitored the intersection for a week. But that study didn't yield any concerns.
Ruhl said, "We monitored kids crossing for a week and didn't see any problems. We don't have the authority as a school district to just go ahead and paint lines. That is something that the city has to do," said business manager for the Hannibal School District, Dana Ruhl.
Danneberg is taking his concerns into his own hands - taking it to the city traffic commission next week. He wants a cross walk and a school speed zone. Back at the district Ruhl says he's glad to see the action ... because it's safety that counts the most. He says had the district found problems, that's exactly the step school officials would make to get a school zone.
In the meantime, Danneberg says he'll continue to video offenders and protect kids.
Do you have concerns about children crossing to walk to school in your neighborhood? What about a dangerous street or intersection in general? We want your comments below or on our Facebook page here.
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