John A. Sanchez: Stop sign needed at Fir, Beachwood

Thursday morning I witnessed something disturbing that could have ended a precious life. I was in my car at the intersection of Fir and Beachwood waiting for cross traffic to pass. I noticed two boys around 9 or 10 get off their bicycles.

They stood looking both ways down Beachwood in hopes of traffic stopping for them so they could cross. After a few moments, a northbound vehicle on Beachwood stopped for them. Both boys started walking across with their bikes when a car going the opposite direction slammed on its brakes and swerved toward the curb, missing the boys by two feet.

Every morning I see students face this danger. Many struggle to cross the street without getting hit by a car. In years past, the school district had a crossing guard to stop traffic for students. I’m assuming that when the economy plummeted, this important measure went by the wayside.

Let’s work together to get our kids safely to school. A stop sign at that intersection has discussed by concerned neighbors in recent years. A similar problem down the street Lobo and Beachwood resulted in a stop sign. Well, I think installing a stop sign at Fir and Beachwood is long overdue.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "John A. Sanchez: Stop sign needed at Fir, Beachwood."