Out of the morning fog appeared a pedestrian, waiting to cross River Road’s bustling commuter traffic. The car in front braked slowly, coming to a stop with plenty of room for the walker to cross safely. The car tailgating it skidded straight ahead on the wet pavement, only coming to a stop when the back bumper of the first car had sufficiently absorbed the shock of the impact.

This isn’t an atypical occurrence, junior Conner Barrett says. He’s crossed River Road by the school’s back entrance each morning and afternoon since freshman year, and says he has witnessed similar “avoidable” accidents about a dozen times.

The crosswalk in question, spanning River from the Bannockburn neighborhood toward the baseball field and tennis courts, is at the top of a hill with limited visibility. It isn’t at an intersection, and has no lights or traffic signals.

It’s time to rethink the safety of this design. So far, we’re lucky such car accidents have only involved broken fenders. Twice in the past, the school has approached the county to ask for a traffic light at the intersection of River and Pyle Roads, principal Alan Goodwin said. Both times, the county has rejected the plea, citing the $250,000 price tag to install and maintain a traffic light and the dearth of serious accidents in the vicinity. Apparently cost is prioritized over lives.

This isn’t a new problem: the Black & White reported on pedestrian safety earlier this fall, and has done so in previous years. What’s ironic is that the Montgomery County Department of Transportation actually has an initiative called Safe Routes to School. Yet somehow, still, the back route has been left neglected.

On a road where speedometers commonly read well above 50 mph, we shouldn’t have students crossing without some sort of warning to drivers. The ideal solution would be a pedestrian bridge, which would be absolutely safe, and link the two neighborhoods. It’s safe to guess, though, the county probably won’t invest the millions required for that construction project anytime in the near future. A cheaper alternative, flashing orange lights, probably wouldn’t cut it because of reckless driving, Goodwin said. And, the traditional red-yellow-green light has been shot down, labelled “too expensive,” along with being a traffic burden.

That leaves the county with a few feasible options: put in a speed camera, hire a crossing guard or approve an on-call stoplight, which only turns red at the push of a button. The last choice is the most efficient and effective answer.

Though they’ve denied similar requests before, it’s worthwhile to keep pressure on the county. Montgomery County should pay the price for safety so it doesn’t have to face the alternative down the road.