Intersection safety improvements planned near Chandler High School in December

CHANDLER, AZ — The city of Chandler continues to work toward improvements at the intersection of Erie Street and Arizona Avenue, outside Chandler High School, where students can be seen crossing during lunch. Changes are still months away, but safety at the intersection remains top of mind for some.

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“This has been an issue for oh gosh going back decades since before I even went to school here,” said Stormy Rodriguez Haffey, a parent, an alumni, a community member, and a teacher.

The issue she is referring to: some students don’t use the crosswalks.

During the school’s upcoming winter break, the city plans to make some changes at the intersection, including the installation of a LiDAR detection system.

It will detect pedestrians and cars, similar to what was recently launched at the intersection of McClintock and Ray. The city says the price for this technology is approximately $28,600 per intersection.

A pedestrian scramble phase is also planned, meaning all four crosswalks can be used at the same time while all traffic is stopped.

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Rodriguez Haffey is optimistic about the changes that could come.

“Of course, obviously I’d like to see it before school starts, but if we can just get it in place at some point during the school year, I think that is going to be beneficial, is just getting it at some point,” Rodriguez Haffey said.

She said she would also like to see the school access point change to make the crosswalk more appealing to students.

In addition to the city’s plans, a safety and security advisory committee created at Chandler High School has been working to create formal recommendations for the school board. Chandler Unified School District says no date has been set for when that presentation will happen.

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