CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Many people in the Winchester community are mourning the loss of 15-year-old McKenna Letcher.

The teenager died after being hit by a school bus Tuesday morning.

This situation prompts community members to ask how we can ensure pedestrian safety in the area.

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“I think there’s a lot of discussion in Winchester about traffic lights and lighting, and I think this has really brought that to the forefront throughout the city,” said Jess Toews, who lives in the neighborhood.

Clark County District Three Magistrate Stephen Craycraft shares more information about the intersection where Letcher was struck.

“That intersection, Highway 1960 crossing Veterans Memorial Parkway, Highway 1958, was originally designed as a rural highway and therefore it didn’t have crosswalks, it didn’t have traffic lights, it didn’t have anything like that to help pedestrians or cyclists cross the highway,” Craycraft said.

Craycraft said that over time, these areas have become more dangerous for pedestrians.

“Over the years, county roads and state roads have been repaved and repaved. Sometimes they cheat a little bit and make the roads just a little bit wider and a little bit wider and then they take it away until there’s no shoulder to walk on,” Craycraft said.

In the two decades since the intersection was created, Craycraft has added an influx of foot traffic, and that could continue to increase as more development enters the area.

“As you cross the parkway, you have 20 seconds to cross the four lanes of the highway, plus the central reservation, so that might be a consideration,” he said.

Craycraft said that in the wake of this tragedy and as this area of ​​the county continues to grow, he wants to work with the Kentucky Department of Highways to ensure pedestrians are safer than before.

“We would probably like to see the highway department look at these intersections to see if there is an opportunity to put in lighting, crosswalks, a signal change button and more time to cross these roads,” Craycraft said.

He added that he was waiting for a response from the ministry to see if and when it would be possible to add more time to the traffic lights for people crossing the road.

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