School Traffic Patterns
Designing Safe & Efficient School Drop-Off &
Pick-Up
Areas
THE MOST CONCERNING AFFECT IS CHAOTIC - AND OFTENTIMES DANGEROUSTRAFFIC
SAFETY CONCERNS
In the United States, approximately 50% of school-aged children are driven to school in private vehicles. Most schools, especially those that are dated, are not designed to accommodate such large volumes of traffic. The end result of these conditions are long wait times, wasted gas, and angry parents and neighbors. However, as more students are traveling across busy streets and between running vehicles to get to and from the school, the most concerning affect is chaotic – and oftentimes dangerous – traffic patterns leading to unsafe conditions.
The overall traffic congestion can be caused by several sources – from the relocation of entrances and exits in the building itself to changes in neighboring roadways or access routes. In addition, due to perceived safety concerns, some parents are reluctant to allow their children to walk or bike to school. This often results in parents driving their children, which adds to the congestion – creating a continuous cycle.
However, by improving the drop-off and pick-up process, traffic patterns become more organized and provide safer conditions for all.
THE BEST PLANS UTILIZE & INCORPORATE THE EXISTING SUCCESSES A CAMPUS HAS
CREATING AN ORGANIZED AND SAFE DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP PROCESS
Taking the time to evaluate existing traffic patterns and their uses is critical. During this evaluation process all aspects – down to the smallest detail – matter. From investigating current site requirements to anticipating future needs, the goal is the same – to reduce traffic congestion as much as possible, creating safer conditions for all commuters.
The best arrangements are those that utilize the successes that a campus already has. Creating a design that emphasizes these positive functions will help keep project costs lower, as well as provide easier assimilation for the end-user.
KEY COMPONENTS INCLUDE:
Reducing Traffic Pattern
Overlap By providing separate, designated routes for buses, cars, and pedestrians, a student’s overall exposure to traffic will be significantly reduced. Buses and cars will have an easier time entering and exiting the school campus, enhancing their overall experience and improving safety for all motorists.
Reduced Congestion
Well-designed bus and vehicular patterns will keep traffic from spilling over into neighboring streets or blocking adjacent roadways. By restricting traffic to within campus boundaries, the neighboring roadways are relieved of “rush hour” conditions and, therefore, providing safer walking and traveling conditions for all.
Properly Accommodating for Traffic
Making accommodations for the traffic a school will see during the drop-off/pick-up timeframe is essential. Whether it’s developing a plan that weaves traffic around the campus in an organized fashion or creating a multi-functional space to capitalize on existing conditions (such as using an existing playground as a temporary drop-off zone) – knowing how many vehicles will be onsite at a specific time will help keep traffic congestion at a minimum.
Cohesion Between Interior & Exterior Spaces
To develop a successful plan, it’s crucial to have consistency between indoor and outdoor processes. For example, where children need to travel within the building at the beginning and end of the day will impact decisions made in the design of the exterior traffic patterns.
Simplistic Design for End-User
With the potential to have hundreds of vehicles in an area at once, the drop-off/pick-up process must be well-organized and easy to understand. Tools to help the transition can include signage, marketing collateral, pavement markings, and more. If the end-user doesn’t understand the process, the system will ultimately fail.
Accommodating for Future Plans
During the design process, considerations for the future are essential. Current plans should analyze anticipated future changes - such as increased traffic due to school mergers, renovations, or increased populations. If designs cannot immediately accommodate for anticipated future changes, design decisions can be made now to allow for easier transitions in the future.
FINDING SOLUTIONS TO EVERY CHALLENGE
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NATIONALLY, 10-14% OF MORNING CAR TRIPS ARE FOR SCHOOL TRAVEL
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One of the biggest obstacles is site restrictions. Some schools, especially campuses that have expanded over the decades, have already maximized their available space. Instead of eliminating open areas and playgrounds, it is important to find a design that facilitates both pedestrian and vehicular activities. One option is to create a dedicated drop-off and pick-up zone on an asphalt play area, with cars and pedestrians using the space at different times.
In addition, older campuses tend to run the risk of not having adequate stormwater management systems in place. This can cause flooding, hazards during winter months, and more issues. Additionally, many school campuses are not designed to meet new stormwater regulations. Many times stormwater mitigation needs to be addressed at the same time as proposed traffic improvements.
As households grow and change, so do their transportation options. Students who ride the bus one semester, may be dropped-off the next. And as they grow older, the students may eventually drive themselves to school. This ongoing fluctuation provides a unique challenge when determining how to reduce traffic pattern overlap and congestion –requiring evaluation and planning for both current and anticipated future needs.
Another typical challenge deals with budget concerns. One way to mitigate these concerns is to identify everything that may impact the budget early on – such as a need for updated stormwater management practices, additional landscape buffers, and soil conditions. By considering these concerns early in the design process, they can be more accurately captured in the budget from the start – limiting surprises down the road.
In recent years, Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) has experienced traffic congestion and lengthy drop-off and pick-up times at several of their middle schools – including Lane, Shawnee, and Kekionga. In 2021, the FWCS contracted JPR to help with needed improvements.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
FWCS MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT LANES
PROBLEM: The additional traffic not only created safety concerns for pedestrians, but also added congestion within the parking lots and created traffic hazards on several of the main thoroughfares adjacent to the schools. During peak school hours, the hazards alone warranted the need for improved site mobility. Because of the congestion and existing traffic and pedestrian overlap, each of the three middle schools had a great need for an isolated and designated student drop-off/pick-up area.
SOLUTION: JPR was tasked with improving bus and car navigation, pedestrian flow, and drop-off/pick-up logistics – all while reducing pedestrian-vehicle conflicts and improving the safety of students, staff, and visitors. Once JPR was assigned to the project, the team began coordinating with the school district, conducting site visits to analyze existing conditions, evaluating existing traffic patterns, and then using this information and feedback to begin developing design solutions.
Several site designs were explored to provide a more efficient and safer placement of the dropoff and pick-up lanes. Important design elements included reducing discord to pedestrian flow and planning for the least amount of conflict with bus traffic and staff and visitor parking. In addition, each design thoroughly examined its impact on stormwater and included system upgrades to maximize the site’s ability to retain and infiltrate stormwater. Coordination with utility providers and permitting agencies also began early in the design process.
Lane Middle School: Space was also an issue at Lane Middle School. In fact, it was such an issue that buses had to arrive in two shifts, with the second shift waiting in the neighboring high school parking lot for the first shift to disperse. Because of this, JPR developed a plan to widen the bus lane to accommodate all buses at once. Parent drop-off and pick-up was then relocated to more of an isolated area in the back of the school, and the parking lot itself was expanded. In addition to the design aspects of the project, JPR helped the school locate utility manholes that were buried underground.
Shawnee Middle School: At this school, the team faced site restrictions. With limited space in the front of the building, the design incorporated a triple-lane drop-off/pick-up area instead of just one lane. Easy access to staff parking – away from the drop-off site – was also included. The existing bus drop-off and pick-up zone worked well, so limited modifications were made to that area. However, an adjustment to the drop-off location of the special needs buses was made to allow for better function and accessibility.
Kekionga Middle School: JPR was faced with multiple challenges at this school. The existing site had overlapping traffic patterns, with private vehicles and buses located in the same area. Due to an excess of traffic, nearby roadways were shut down and parents were parking in adjacent neighborhoods and having their children walk across a highly traveled and congested roadway to find them. To solve these issues, JPR started by separating the traffic patterns. Buses were relocated to drop-off and pick-up in one area, while the parents were relocated to another. A new staff parking lot with a separate entrance was also designed. Parent vehicles were then pulled within the site to alleviate congestion of the neighboring roadways, and students were instructed to enter/exit from the driver’s side. JPR also worked with the City of Fort Wayne to adjust traffic light patterns to provide buses a wider window to enter and exit the campus. Through this design, JPR also helped create cohesion between the exterior and interior of the building so entrances and exits function smoothly.
CONCLUSION: This project will be completed in phases. Lane and Shawnee were constructed for the 2022/23 school year, while Kekionga is scheduled for a subsequent summer construction. JPR continues to work with FWSC on a variety of school projects and facility upgrades.
LANE MIDDLE SCHOOL
SHAWNEE MIDDLE SCHOOL
KEKIONGA MIDDLE SCHOOL
In 2020, two Elkhart Community high schoolsMemorial and Central - merged to create Elkhart High School, a singular school serving grades 10 through 12. JPR, hired by the Elkhart Community School Corporation (ECSC), was tasked to re-imagine how bus and vehicular traffic would affect the existing campus after the merger.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: ECSC
MASTER PLAN & NEW BUS PARKING LOT
PROBLEM: This project came with one primary challenge - twice as many students meant twice as much car and bus traffic. JPR studied how the increase in vehicular traffic would function during peak school times, specifically within the start and end of the school-day time frame. However, this unique campus encompassed a career technical school as well – so there were multiple schools on one campus, starting and ending their days at the same time.
Along with the influx in student life, there were also previously planned building renovations and additions happening. So, in addition to analyzing the multiple traffic patterns, JPR had to take the expansion into account and plan for both current and future needs.
After a thorough evaluation, JPR found that buses, parent vehicles, and additional traffic intermixed with pedestrian crossings causing safety issues and congestion of the main thoroughfares.
SOLUTION: Ultimately, the increase in student life across the campus, and the goal of increased pedestrian safety, led to the creation of a new bus parking lot. The area to the north of the school – where an existing softball field sat – was found to be a much safer area for pedestrians. As an isolated location with no moving vehicles, this site would provide a safe zone for students entering and exiting the school.
The creation of a new bus parking lot held multiple benefits. For example, the separation of bus and car traffic meant increased safety for all – especially student pedestrians. It allowed for quicker drop-off and pick-up times for parents, as well as less congested roadways. In addition, the new lot can hold up to 64 full-size buses and was designed so they can pull straight in and out, without needing to backup or turn around.
ELKHART COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL
TRAFFIC PATTERNS BEFORE REMODEL
Prior to the creation of a separate bus lot, traffic patterns were intermixed, creating safety issues and congestion of the main thoroughfares. As shown above, buses, parent vehicles, pedestrians, and additional traffic crossed paths in many areas.
ISOLATING THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS INCREASED SAFETY FOR STUDENTS & MOTORISTS.
TRAFFIC PATTERN AFTER REMODEL
To alleviate traffic congestion and increase pedestrian safety, JPR led the development of a new bus lot to the north of the school. This allowed for the separation of bus and car traffic resulting in increased safety for all - especially the students.
CONCLUSION: This project was constructed in the fall of 2021 and took approximately two years from the time of the initial study to completion. JPR continues to work with the ECSC on a variety of school projects and facility upgrades.
