Danish offset rests between school and park

Carson High School students will return to campus this week and see street improvements on Saliman Road from Highway 50 East to Fairview Drive.

The pavement has been improved and the crosswalk between Carson High School and Mills Park enhanced so students have added safety, said Patrick Pittenger, the city's transportation manager.

"The group wanted to come up with a midstreet safe haven," said Larry Werner, the city's development services director.

A group of community members sought a way to make crossing Saliman safer because students at the high school make a beeline between the two locations.

This is why an island now rests in the center of Saliman between the school and park that requires pedestrians to face oncoming traffic through its design. Young people have a tendency to dash across streets without looking.

Called a "Danish Offset," the island creates a path with a 90-degree angle that forces people walking across it to be pointed toward any cars coming in their direction.

- Terri Harber