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County Growth Snarls School Traffic

Posted on: Friday, 2 September 2005, 15:00 CDT

Sep. 1--Heavy traffic around some Horry County schools has drawn complaints from drivers during the past three days of classes, and school officials say the vehicle overload is another symptom of the area's growing development and increasing population.

The county's schools are seeing little traffic increase than in previous years, and officials have been spending the past few days working out the traffic-related kinks.

Any additional wait time can be attributed to the area's overall traffic increase and the addition of as many as 2,000 students this year, district spokeswoman Teal Britton said.

"It's a direct result of Horry County becoming more of a metropolitan area," she said. "When you're in high-density areas, it's more difficult to move around."

Some schools are seeing more traffic because of the increased vehicle presence in those areas, such as St. James Elementary School and Carolina Forest Elementary School, she said.

Schools in rural areas are seeing no additional wait, she said.

Many facilities' physical limitations prevent the increased volume of vehicles from getting through quickly, Britton said. About 50 percent of parents transport their children to and from school via car, and Britton said that number has remained steady in recent years.

The number of parents driving their children to school is highest in the first week, principals say, and that increase in vehicles can compound problems.

St. James Elementary Principal Mary Beth Heath said the number of parents who bring their children to school already has dropped since the first day. Parents get used to the school's procedures and pace themselves to avoid the peak time, she said.

"We're moving about five minutes behind last year, but give us another day and we'll be faster," she said.

Heath said she also encourages families to carpool.

Carolina Forest Elementary Principal Melissa Spearman said every year has a similar pattern: The first week produces the most congestion, which decreases as parents become more comfortable with school buses and the schools.

"People have to understand that if they don't have school-age children that they're dropping off that the most congested time is that [morning] window," Spearman said.

Carolina Forest Elementary School, which has 1,300 students this year, has about double the intended number of students, Britton said.

The school district has a plan in place to increase the capacity of schools, especially in the Carolina Forest area.

"There isn't anything that we have heard this year that isn't something we have heard every year," Britton said. "It's just not possible to give everybody a five-minute drop-off and pick-up time."

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Source: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

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