IRWIN, St James — Railed sidewalks and rumble strips are among measures being mulled to make getting to and from school safer for students of Irwin Primary and High schools in St James, where seventh-grader Deanna Solomon was run over by a bus last Wednesday as classmates jostled to get into position and board the vehicle.

“It’s a complete improvement to the area that that we are conceptualising,” Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon told the Jamaica Observer.

On Monday, he joined members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and other stakeholders on a walkthrough of the treacherous Pegga Road route which students have been taking for years. The road from the schools’ shared campus to Tucker main road is often significantly narrowed in many sections by heavy bush on both sides. One side abuts hilly terrain and on the other there is a steep drop. Students and motorists dangerously compete for use of the road each day.

“In order to make significant improvements to the area to enhance walkability, we would have to do excavation. We would have to do excavation of the banking, installation of sidewalks along with rails to provide that walkability for students and other persons using the roadway,” the mayor explained.

He said de-bushing would only be a first step.

“If we clear the bushing along Pegga Road you would see more banking, not necessarily more road. Because it’s not the bush that is at the banking directly but more so the banks of the hill itself that is along the roadway,” Vernon told the Observer.

“The bush provides a bit more bulkiness to the banks but if you clear it, you will see more banking and not more road. We need more road and we need more space to provide the appropriate walking area,” he added.

According to the mayor, Pegga Road is essentially the responsibility of the St James Municipal Corporation as it is part of the local road network. It is located in the Spring Mount Division of St James, represented by Councillor Uvel Graham, and part of St James East Central constituency which is represented by Edmund Bartlett.

Vernon said it will take a significant sum to put in the changes being proposed and he is hoping the funds can be sourced outside of the municipal corporation.

“We will have to speak with Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) to see how they can help us to implement the safe school zone within the area,” he explained.

He said the expertise of the National Works Agency will also be required.

“We may instal rumble strips in some key areas but that is dependent on the recommendation coming out of a detailed assessment of the area as to where are the best places to install the rumble strips. That will need the support of the National Works Agency,” the mayor told the Observer.

He said Irwin High and Primary will also have a role to play.

“The schools are now actually looking at how they can repurpose a significant piece of property in between both campuses — the primary campus and the high school campus,” Vernon revealed.

“They have a responsibility now to come up with a design, in partnership with some other stakeholders who are competent in that field, for a terminal for drop off and pick up for both primary and high school [students] in the morning and afternoon,” he added.

The mayor said the schools have already implemented some additional safety measures as they await next steps for the measures now being explored.

“In the meantime, the schools are managing the movement of students as best as possible, queuing them so that they can move towards the transportation in an orderly way. That is the immediate step that the schools have taken,” said Vernon.

Deanna died at hospital less than a day after she was run over by a Montego Bay Metro bus near the schools gates. The bus system was expanded to the community earlier this year, a move welcomed by the schools and wider Irwin community.