Slowing Down Traffic in School Zones
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE The speed of a vehicle in a crash greatly determines the severity of injuries. Slowing down vehicles within the school grounds and on the streets adjacent to the school is a significant way to improve safety. Coordinating the school’s efforts to slow traffic on the adjacent streets with the city’s police and engineering departments […]
Increasing Student Visibility in School Zones
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE Trees, shrubs, fences, buses, and parked vehicles should be limited in crossing areas so kids can be seen by vehicles in time for the vehicles to stop for them. This is typically at least 30 feet from the intersection per the image. Obstructions should be removed within the school grounds and along the […]
Minimizing the Impacts of School Traffic
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE This component of the School Traffic Safety Plan requires working with the city engineering department and possibly hiring a consultant traffic engineer. The plan will analyze the operations of the school’s driveways onto the public street system and the nearby public street intersections. Possible outcomes could be: Installing signs per Chapter 7 of the Federal […]
Minimizing Vehicle and Student Interaction – a Look at Loading Zones
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE Minimizing the amount of time students mix with vehicles is the low hanging fruit of a school traffic safety plan. These measures typically don’t cost anything, but they’re usually pretty specific to each school. The goal is to control where students come in and out of the school so they don’t mix with a […]
Documenting Existing Transportation Systems at Schools
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE The first step in any planning exercise, including developing a School Traffic Safety Plan, should be determining the current situation. Then you can develop alternatives for changing the existing transportation systems. Here’s a checklist for documenting your school’s existing transportation system How do your parking lot/lots currently function? Bus circulation Parent […]
