Although plans for a sidewalk and crosswalk along West 53rd Street at Canterbury are no longer in the budget for 2027, Fairway is extending the school zone speed limit near St. Agnes Catholic School.

The Fairway City Council on July 13 approved the extension, roughly a year and a half after siblings Connor and Annie Newell, fifth and second graders, were struck by a car crossing West 53rd Street after leaving St. Agnes on Jan. 29, 2025.

Back in March, the city council removed a $575,000 project to build a sidewalk and crosswalk at this intersection, even though a study by Burns & McDonnell found that at least one of those improvements would be warranted.

Around the same time, the city is considering raising its property tax rate in 2027 due to budgetary constraints stemming from capital improvement projects such as this.

In the aftermath of being struck by a car, Connor broke an ankle and said he remembers being scared and worried about his younger sister. Annie was thrown into the bushes of a nearby yard and suffered abrasions and bruises.

The Newell children’s parents, Brandon and Cassandra, have been fighting for a crosswalk and sidewalk at 53rd and Canterbury ever since.

Brandon and Cassandra told the Post in a mid-July interview that the extension of the school zone is a “first step,” but they’re still working with the city to address pedestrian crossing at that intersection.

“We obviously would still like a crosswalk and sidewalk, which I think is still a possibility,” Brandon said.

The city extended 20 MPH school zone on 53rd

On July 13, the city council voted 7-0 to approve the extension of the school zone along 53rd Street. Councilmember Emily Snyder was absent.

Prior to this, the school zone only existed on the Roeland Park side of West 53rd Street.

The school zone extension means that West 53rd Street between Canterbury Road to Chadwick Street, the speed limit is 20 miles per hour between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and between 3 and 4 p.m. on days when school is in session.

Outside of those hours, the speed limit remains 30 miles per hour.

Councilmember Lee Story represents Ward 1 and has vocalized his support for pedestrian safety in this area.

Story told the Post in a Monday interview that crosswalks must connect to sidewalks, making the proposal for a crosswalk in this area too expensive at this time given the city’s budget constraints.

Instead, the city is looking at more affordable options, Story said.

His Ward 1 counterpart, Councilmember Kelly-Ann Buszek, has a list of ideas from enhanced striping along the roadway to targeted police enforcement in that area, Story said.

Story said the plan is to work to pursue some of these smaller adjustments while also keeping the crosswalk and sidewalk project on the table.

In the meantime, Story said the school zone extension is “a big move in the right direction.”

“There’s just really no warning as you go around the corner, coming from west to east, that there’s a school right around the corner,” Story said. “If you’re coming the other way, there’s pretty clear markings.”

Ward 1 residents who want to stay informed on this issue should keep an eye out for a newsletter to hit their mailbox soon, Story said.

“It doesn’t really solve the underlying problem”

For Brandon and Cassandra, the speed limit reduction along the street where two of their three children were struck by a car is an example of city leaders listening to resident concerns.

In a mid-July interview with the Post, Cassandra said the community, and St. Agnes parents like herself, “still need access and a safe way for them to cross the street.”

“I think it will help bring more awareness to reduce their speed and to the times that school is in session for kids crossing in the morning and kids crossing in the afternoon,” Cassandra said about the school zone extension.

Still, the Newells say that the school zone extension along West 53rd Street is only the first step to pedestrian safety in this area.

For Brandon, a crosswalk and sidewalk are necessary.

“It is, no pun intended, a good first step, but it doesn’t really solve the underlying problem — you still can’t safely cross that area,” Brandon said.

The Newells plan to continue to work with Fairway leaders toward further solutions for pedestrian safety on this stretch of roadway, ultimately until a crosswalk and sidewalk are installed.

Next steps:

• The city is in the process of acquiring signage and flashing beacon sign to alert drivers of the school zone speed limit extension.
• At St. Agnes, the first day of school is Aug. 18, three weeks from now.

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