School Area Signing and Striping in Pierce Co, WA

Public Works & Utilities >> Traffic Division >> School Areas

Our goal is to help school district officials implement safe walking routes for students. We ask each school district to choose a contact person who fields all inquiries and suggestions from parents and other citizens. The contact person then reviews the suggestions and communicates recommendations to us for improvements.

We then evaluate the school's location and the particular roadway conditions along with the safe walking route established by the school district. We consider all of these factors to determine if a traffic control device should be installed.

If you have a suggestion or concern, please contact your school district's contact person, who typically works in the district transportation department.

School Area Traffic Control Signs

School Advance Signs

'School Advance' signs are installed on streets with established school zones and, if applicable, before the 'School Crossing' sign.

When you notice these signs, be prepared to stop ahead. Be alert that drivers ahead of you may have stopped for a pedestrian--don't attempt to pass in school zones.

School Crossing Sign

'School Crossing' signs are installed only at marked crosswalks intended for the use of school children.

These signs mean there is a marked crosswalk. When there is a pedestrian present, drivers must stop.

School Speed Limit Sign

'School Speed Limit' signs are installed only in advance of marked school crossings that are not controlled by STOP signs or signals.

The State Department of Transportation defines 'when children are present' as:

School children are occupying or walking within the marked crosswalk.
School children are occupying or waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway and are about to cross the roadway by way of the marked crosswalk.
School children are present or walking along the roadway, either on the adjacent sidewalk or, in the absence of sidewalks, on the shoulder within the posted school speed limit zone which extends 300 feet in either direction from the marked crosswalk.

You can help improve safety for school children by:

Teaching children to look carefully before crossing streets.
Always obeying the 20 MPH speed limit in school areas.
Always following instructions given by crossing guards.
Volunteering at your local school as a crossing guard.

When We Install School Crossings

Marked crosswalks are installed for schools only if certain conditions are met. Pierce County's primary requirement is that the school district agree to supply student or adult crossing guards during the time when a crosswalk is in use.

School districts review requests for crosswalks in conjunction with their standard school walking routes. When the school district wants a marked crosswalk, they submit a school crossing application to the Traffic Division. We review crossing applications for safety at the proposed location.

Why we require crossing guards

Crossing guards are required because an active form of protection is the most effective form of crossing protection. Studies have indicated that drivers react more favorably to marked crosswalks that are patrolled than to their unpatrolled counterparts.

Drivers are more likely to stop when patrolled crosswalks are occupied and slow down when children are adjacent to the roadway.

For these reasons, an active form of protection has also been shown to be more effective than signs or signals. In order to provide the best results, crossing guards should be appropriately equipped with orange safety vests, hats, and flags.

Measures in addition to crossing guards

The school districts can consider other measures that can further increase the effectiveness of a marked and patrolled crosswalk:

Placing cones at the centerline and road edge of each crosswalk location.
Placing flags on the signposts below the '20 MPH--When Children Present' signs.

For maximum effectiveness, these devices should only be in place while crossing guards are present.

School districts may also consider other options which might have some increased effectiveness in certain situations: use of flourescent yellow-green school signs, flashing yellow lights, or overhead crosswalk signs. If implemented, these options are funded by the school districts.

The installation of all school-related traffic control measures depends upon a school district's needs and Pierce County's review of the associated safety factors.

A cooperative effort between the County and each school district to provide safety for school children is of the utmost importance.

School Directional Signs

Our school seems difficult to locate. Will the County provide guide signs?

Directional Guide signs may be installed and maintained by Pierce County to help motorists locate hard-to-find schools when:

The educational institution is open for general public enrollment and accredited for a minimum of three grades between kindergarten and 12th grade.
The school site is accessed from a local road and not visible from a road classified as an arterial.