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Improvements on way at dangerous intersection near south Charlotte elementary school

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Parents contacted Channel 9 about a dangerous south Charlotte intersection near an elementary school.

With cameras rolling Thursday, drivers ignored a crossing guard who was holding a stop sign in front of Olde Providence Elementary School off Rea Road.

Crossing guard Susan Killar-Jordan said she was struck by a car earlier this week.

"I'm out here. I'm not afraid. You know, I'm a very strong person,” she said.

Many parents, including Michelle John, said Killar-Jordan is the kind of spitfire crossing guard you want.

[Traffic lights installed at deadly intersection]

"She’s amazing. I mean she will yell at anyone," John said.

John said that sometimes Killar-Jordan needs help, especially at the intersection of Rea Road and Summerlin Place.

"There’s no lights or safety precaution to even tell it’s a crosswalk," John said.

On Monday, Killar-Jordan said she was hit by a gray truck.

"If he looked this way, he would have saw me,” Killar-Jordan said. “I’m bright enough. The truck was tall. He pulled out, and 'bam,' and knocked me down. I jumped up and started screaming and yelling. He bent my pole.”

Many parents fear careless mistakes could one day hurt children.

Channel 9 contacted the Charlotte Department of Transportation to see if anything is being done to help make the area safer.

A spokesperson said a pedestrian hybrid beacon, a type of flash warning system, will be installed once they have the money for it.

“I'd say in the past two years, it feels like the safety has significantly degraded at the intersection,” said concerned Charlotte resident William Berkeley said.

Berkeley believes the way the school does carpool is part of the traffic problem.

When Channel 9 asked Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials about that, a spokesperson said they are aware of the complaints.

In an email, a spokesperson wrote, "Safety is priority for students and staff and the district is aware of parent concerns in the area. As a short-term solution, carpool parents are asked to follow and remain in the designated carpool areas and obey all traffic laws, including reduced speed during school hours.

"Meanwhile, this is a location CMS and Charlotte DOT have frequently discussed for potential relocation of the carpool and crosswalk and signalization. Until those long-term solutions can be accomplished, school leadership is asking that motorists obey speed and other traffic laws in the area."

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