(ABC 6 News) – It was a concern that’s been brought up before in Zumbrota. The safety of pedestrians near 5th Street and West Avenue. And now it’s coming to light again.

“80% of students were observed crossing the street in an unsafe manner,” said Greg Mort, a resident of Zumbrota.

Mort has created a petition to bring a crosswalk to the intersection. He says with many kids crossing the busy intersection at a time, something needs to be done.

“I was kind of sitting there and watching a few times, and I’ve seen a handful of times where cars were kind of speeding too fast down there. Kids are not really watching that well, and it scared me and I’m looking into what can be done about it,” Mort said.

Mort presented the idea to the city on Thursday last week. The owner of the Zumbrota Dance Studio says she’s on board.

“Anything I think will help the situation, whether it’s signage, and just the painted lines saying that this is a crosswalk, watch what you are doing,” said Robyn Hoven, the owner of the Zumbrota Dance Studio.

She also makes sure to tell her students to be careful.

“It’s only a two, two and a half block walk, so it’s not a long distance, but I do require the kids to walk in groups, and I do require them to have a buddy or whatever, when they’re walking just for safety reasons,” Hoven said.

The city says they are looking into what they can do to help out with the situation after hearing from Mort. They expect to know more in the next week.

Mort released the following statement below:

On February 6, 2025, I attended the Zumbrota City Council meeting to present concerns about pedestrian safety at a key intersection near the dance studio. I shared a petition along with supporting information highlighting the number of children and other pedestrians who regularly walk in the area.

Through discussions with the dance studio, we estimated that approximately 68 children currently walk to dance after school, though this number fluctuates based on class offerings and weather conditions. However, this isn’t just about dancers—through online comments and community feedback, it’s clear that many residents see this intersection as a safety concern for all pedestrians.

Speaking with the City Administrator, he shared that the city will continue looking into this issue, as the City Council agreed it was worth an investigation. Over the coming months, we should learn more about what can be done to improve pedestrian safety at this corner.

Since raising these concerns, we’ve already seen positive engagement. Just yesterday, my daughter mentioned that Officer Shannon visited the dance studio, commending the girls for walking in a group and staying alert while crossing the street. It’s encouraging to see the city taking this issue seriously and listening to concerns they may not have been previously aware of.