LAGUNA NIGUEL : Crossing Guards OKd for 2 Schools

Concerned parents emerged victorious from this week’s City Council meeting after the council unanimously agreed to spend nearly $30,000 to pay for crossing guards at the city’s two new elementary schools.

In approving crossing guards for Hidden Hills and John S. Malcom elementary schools, the council overturned the traffic commission’s recommendation to place only three-way stop signs at the intersections.

“It’s crucial to be correct right out of the box,” Councilman Thomas W. Wilson said. “You can’t afford to make a mistake that first year.”

A group of Hidden Hills parents who had packed the council chambers Tuesday night said the decision boded well for the inaugural school year.

“We’re off to a good start,” said Nancy Nimmo, president of the Hidden Hills Parent-Teacher Assn.

Each of the three crossing guards will cost the city $9,400 per year.

A three-way stop, a crosswalk and a crossing guard will be placed at Hidden Hills Road and Sandling Court. The city’s traffic engineers estimate that more than 200 students may have to cross Hidden Hills to get to school.

Traffic studies show that about 5,000 cars travel Hidden Hills Road every day, many of them moving at well over the posted speed limit of 35 m.p.h.

For Malcom Elementary, with 450 students within walking distance, the council approved three-way stops, crosswalks and crossing guards where Charles Road intersects Ridgeway Avenue, and where it meets Brighton Place.

The council chose not to place a crossing guard at the intersection of Ridgeway and Niguel Road, saying that the traffic signal is sufficient to help children cross safely. However, the time of the walk signal will be lengthened to give children more time to cross.