OUR TURN: From the mouths of children … a plea
What can be more heart-wrenching, more plaintive, than the appeal of a child to right a wrong? Or in this case, not a child, but children — specifically, the friends of Caleb and Sierra Hardin, the teen siblings who lost their lives during a tragic accident Feb. 23 on Texas 29 between Burnet and Bertram.
During Spring Break, students from Burnet High School presented a petition with 500 signatures asking the authorities to improve the notorious stretch of the state highway where the brother and sister died.
The siblings’ sedan ran into the back of a school bus that had stopped to make a left turn.
The students are asking that turn lanes be installed to create safer driving conditions.
According to state records, that stretch of roadway has seen nearly 100 accidents since 2010, including four fatal wrecks.
The turn lanes in question on 29 include county roads 258/303, 304, 333 and 252.
Burnet County Commissioners applauded the students’ actions and have added their own voices to the call for improvements.
The Texas Department of Transportation, which recently received a windfall of about $2 billion, should make the improvements a priority.
“It needs to be done,” Commissioner Ronny Hibler said March 14. “I think the petition will speed the process. It is one of the most important issues in the county now. We have had too many fatalities along that road. There are numerous crosses along the roadside. That tells you something is wrong.”
TxDOT Austin District Engineer Carlos Lopez, Burnet Area Engineer Howard Lyons and Mel Ferguson, chief for staff for state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, received copies of the petition during a Commissioners Court meeting March 13.
So did the commissioners.
The students’ call to action is reminiscent of the effort to improve Texas 71 after several accidents there claimed lives — including that of Hibler’s grandson. A public outcry eventually led TxDOT to make sweeping improvements.
This latest effort by the Burnet students is in its embryonic stage, but it too could make a difference for Texas 29.
The deaths of the Hardins have deeply affected the community, especially their friends. They have rallied around a substantive issue that affects anyone — young and old alike — who drives on 29 between Burnet and Bertram.
Signatures from 500 teens and friends are hard to ignore.
This is a true grassroots movement. Think about what the students are doing and how much this means to them. It’s very rare these days to see young people so energized and focused on a cause that doesn’t involve sports, social media, school or church.
These officials can be assured the young people are serious about their entreaty.
The politicians and bureaucrats should listen and take action.
Lives are literally in the balance.
These students don’t want to erect any more crosses on the roadside for friends whose lives are needlessly lost.