The signals will be placed between Hamilton, Seventh and Ninth streets to improve student safety, the school system said in a statement.
The signals are also part of an overhaul in parking in and around the high school, which city council approved Tuesday night based on a proposal by police Chief Chuck Hasty.
In a memo sent to City Manager Joseph Scherer last month and discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting, Hasty said, “I would like to make a few recommendations to improve pedestrian safety, traffic flow and parking around … Roanoke Rapids High School.”
Hasty noted he received a quote for the two warning lights to be placed on Hamilton Street between Ninth and Seventh. “The cost would be about $15,000 for the signs and installment.”
Hasty said in the memo he already spoke with the school system about sharing the cost. The sign would have a pedestrian crossing symbol instead of the speed limit.

• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
•  

The second amendment is elimination of the parking spots in front of the senior parking lot, which contains about 13 spots on the west side of Hamilton Street. “This would improve traffic flow during the morning and afternoon hours when students are coming and going to the high school,” he said in the memo. “Line of sight for the drivers traveling Hamilton Street during these times would greatly improve. The students would not be walking out from in between vehicles parked on the street.”
The third amendment concerns the unloading area behind Washington and Eighth streets. “I would recommend no parking on the north side of Eighth Street in front of the staff lot. I would also recommend that the 305-foot portion of Eighth Street from Washington Street to Jefferson Street be a one-way street in the direction of Jefferson Street — east.”
The west side of Eighth Street would be marked as bus parking only. “This would improve traffic flow during the morning and afternoon hours.”
Hasty said the flow becomes a bottleneck when vehicles are parked on both sides of Eighth Street and traffic flowing in both directions. “It is dangerous for the students walking to be picked up.”
The last amendment is no parking on Eighth from Charlotte to Jefferson streets, a 382-feet portion on the south side of the street. “When vehicles park there, vehicles leaving the AMVETS parking lot cannot see without pulling out into traffic. There is also a problem with occupants of the parked vehicles throwing trash out onto the street and the AMVETS property.”
Said Hasty in the memo, “Most of the vehicles that are parking there are students of RRHS. I feel that this recommendation would improve safety in that area because when vehicles are parked there the occupants hang out in the street and on the property belonging to the AMVETS and it would improve the conditions of the property with no more trash in the street and on neighboring property.”
The no parking regulations would be in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.