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LESSONS IN TRAFFIC ; Schools Teach Parents How to Navigate Lots

Posted on: Saturday, 6 August 2005, 03:01 CDT

Students aren't the only ones who need to review when they go back to school.

Parents and other drivers who drop off and pick up students at schools should do some brushing up as well.

Navigating school traffic is never easy, but it's especially hazardous when a new school year begins, officials say.

Schools try to make drop-offs and pickups safe and quick with signs, orange cones, diagrams in school newsletters and even DVDs shown during parent nights to explain how to navigate the parking lot and be kind to nearby residents.

But no education effort can change the fact that "for about 20 minutes in the morning and about 20 minutes in the afternoon, it just highly increases the traffic in the neighborhood" around every school, said Gary Herbst, traffic engineering technician with the city of Colorado Springs. He's seen plenty of problems in school zones -- parents who think it's okay to briefly park in no-parking areas, cars swerving into traffic to pass someone also dropping off students, parents parked across the street from the school and waving their children across through traffic. Parents generally follow the system set up for dropping off and picking up students, but problems arise when drivers are in a hurry, said Bobbie Long, principal at Martinez Elementary School in northeast Colorado Springs. More than 600 students are released at once when the bell rings in the afternoon, Long said.

Parents start lining up 30 to 45 minutes before dismissal at some schools, said Kent Poe, safety manager for Colorado Springs School District 11.

It takes about two weeks to get the drop-off and pickup systems running well when a new school year begins, said Kevin Collins, chief operating officer at The Classical Academy. The first day of school is especially hard because the system is new to so many people.

Several charter schools have similar systems for drop-offs and pickups. In the morning, parents drive up to the designated spot, where staff members help students out quickly and safely.

In the afternoon, each family has a car pool number. When drivers pull into the lot, they give their number to a staff member who calls out the children who match that number.

Sean Shields, principal at James Madison Charter Academy in Widefield School District 3, said about 185 students depart his school in about 15 minutes.

Many parents drive their children to and from school because of safety concerns, Herbst said, but increased school traffic is a safety concern as well.

Ginger Browning has lived for 35 years near Rogers Elementary School on South Circle Drive south of Pikes Peak Avenue. She knows that a lot more children are getting rides to school these days. She's grown used to drivers parking in her neighborhood to wait for students.

Most complaints from neighbors involve people blocking driveways, said D-11's Poe.

That's one of the things schools will be reminding drivers not to do as the new school year begins.

BUS OFTEN NOT AN OPTION

If all students rode school buses, traffic could be more easily controlled at schools. But bus transportation isn't available to many.

In most districts, students must meet requirements such as living a certain distance from the school or needing special assistance. That's why in some neighborhood elementary schools, there is no bus service.

Bus service is also not usually available to students who choose to attend a school outside their enrollment area.

Meanwhile, the buses outside schools every morning and afternoon are one more obstacle for drivers trying to make their way to student dropoff/pickup points.

ALTERNATIVES TO DRIVING

There are options for getting your children to school without getting stuck in traffic.

Have your children walk to school or walk with them, suggests Gary Herbst, traffic engineering technician with the city of Colorado Springs.

Also, the city's RideFinders program can help parents organize a walk pool or bike pool in a neighborhood, meaning an adult leads a group of children to school each day by walking or bicycling.

Those interested can call RideFinders at 385-7433 for more information.

DROP-OFF AND PICKUP TIPS

Things to remember when dropping off and picking up children:

Be patient.

Always be watchful of students.

Always load/unload students at the curb, so they don't have to cross traffic.

Follow all directions posted on signs and given by school personnel.

Don't park in no-parking zones.

In most drop-off or pickup situations, drivers should pull as far forward as possible.

Again, be patient.

Source: Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.

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