New school traffic map for 2011-2012 school year
Picking up/dropping off students:
Parents enter Broad Street from Monroe Street.
Children can be picked up or dropped off in the existing parking lot directly west of the middle school.
Broad Street traffic will only be able to exit the school by returning to Monroe St. The access to School St. will be blocked.
Only school buses are allowed on School Street. Cars on School Street will be turned away by a crossing guard.
Will this be enough for all that extra traffic (hundreds of kids?)
ReplyDeleteSo, for the parents who are dropping their kids off to walk them into school (younger elem, parents who want to talk to teachers before school)....are these cars driving AROUND the parked cars in that lot from what I can see?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, the lot will have lines drawn around the outside. Cars will park outside those lines, and traffic will move on the inside.
ReplyDeleteFor parents that want to walk their kids into school, you can move to the right inside the lot, park your car, and walk to the school. All the rest of the traffic will continue to move inside the circle.
My question is the buses. School street does not have a traffic signal. There will be quite a jam trying to get those buses out onto M-50.
Last year it was busy in the mornings. I can't imagine what it will be like with all of the extra traffic. Patience will be mandatory for those parents that like to drop off/pick up their children!
ReplyDeleteThe blue lines are not for parking. The existing parking lot will be for dropping children off only.
ReplyDeleteSo, how are parents who were told, by Ms. Powell at a forum meeting, that they could walk their children into school going to actually be able to park and do that?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have that answer? Or was this yet another "mis-communication" issue?
Yes, where will we park?
ReplyDeleteWhere will Latch-key and Pre-school children be dropped off. It is my understanding that you have to walk those children in to class. And we are to believe that the back parking lot will be sufficient for all staff parking. Hhmmmm? This seems to be a bit of a mess!
ReplyDeletePlain and simple, this will be a disaster!!!
ReplyDeleteWe had to do something, over the last five years the congestion there was getting bad, I have seen so many close calls with parents almost running over each others kids, I have had parents drive right through the cross walk while I was out there with kids in the street. This whole thing is about keeping your kids safe. Remember, this plan only is in effect before school starts , and lets out. After that is over, you can do anything you want. The Crossing Guard.
ReplyDeleteWe will make sure that these comments are forwarded to chief Elwell and those working on the issue. The good news is that it is only June. There is time to get your questions answered - or resolved - before the first bell.
ReplyDeleteYour Police Chief here, and I will try and answer the posted questions/comments up until now, and I will check back for any additional questions.
ReplyDeleteRemember first and foremost, that we developed this plan for two primary purposes; to make it safer for the children, and to make traffic flow better. We will continue to refine the plan to best serve those purposes, but we wanted to get as much information out as soon as possible to be ahead of the start of the school year.
Prior to this plan, it was a terrible mix of vehicles driving in to the school circle to drop kids, amongst the buses, with kids walking in between all of them. The same went for the intersection of School and Broad, with cars and buses mixing with kids walking. This plan separates all of that, and gives kids walking in an “exclusion zone” on Broad at School, where no vehicles can pass, but kids can safely cross.
As to the question of cars driving around the perimeter of the parking lot, that is correct. The lot will be re-marked, with a lane marked around the perimeter that will be at least wide enough to accommodate two vehicles side by side.
With the point of buses leaving M-50, there is a longer line of sight there then there is at Monroe and Main, and it may take a little patience, but is do-able. It is worth it to separate the bus traffic from the car traffic, and thus keeping the “exclusion zone”.
Relative to where staff will park, they will be using the rear lot behind the Middle School, the spaces between the two schools, and if necessary, the lot on the southwest corner of School and Broad Streets. The staff will be specifically directed to refrain from parking in the lot used for drop-off and pick-up (to the West of the Middle School). This will allow more room in that lot for parents who want to park and walk their children in.
Remember that we will continue to refine the plan, and the School is giving consideration to possibly enlarging the main parking lot in question, as well as possibly cutting in a drive between that lot and the lot at the rear (South) of the Middle school.
For those with additional questions or suggestions, send me an email at delwell@twp.columbia.mi.us and include your name and address.
My thanks,
David K. Elwell, Chief
This is about the SAFTEY OF OUR CHILDREN! The comments about having to walk your kids in, Shame on you. It is not about you. It is about the children.
ReplyDeleteIt needed to be heard!
ReplyDeleteI agree it is about the childrens safety.
It is not about me...it is about the people who have been burnt. Our voices needed to be heard. Since I am from out of town and cannot speak in person, I am doing my best to find an avenue to speak.
I agree the pattern could be congested but hopefully once everyone becomes accustomed to the new pattern it will run smoothly.
Comments have been removed that violate our guidelines.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct....this is about the SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN! The comments made about walking our kids in is ABOUT THEIR SAFETY!! Some of the kids dropped off (preschool, young latchkey, kindergarten, even first grade) are NOT old enough to simply drop off at the corner and drive away from. If they ride the bus, someone from the school sees them in (several adults do). If they are dropped off, it's not too much to want to see your child safely into the school and even connect with the teacher if need be. Shame on us for being concerned?!? Shame on YOU for just assuming this is all going to be taken of. It was not until the parents raised a fuss about how it would handled that someone with authorify (Elwell) started looking at the logistics for us. You should be happy there are parents out there that are raising these concerns!
ReplyDeleteYour Chief here again.
ReplyDeleteParents will still be able to park and walk their children in, if they feel a need.
That parking will be in the lot to the West of the Middle School, as it will be reserved for that purpose (staff will not be parking there)of parking to walk kids in, or pulling up to the side and dropping off kids.
This could be another location to potentially use "safety patrols".
my thanks,
David K. Elwell