The City and School District are teaming up to sponsor a professional analysis of traffic patterns around New Rochelle’s schools. The goal: devise safer and more efficient means of allowing motorists, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians to get to and from New Rochelle’s public school buildings.
This is no easy challenge. Every school draws hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of people, who arrive and depart within tight time frames, using a very limited number of entrances and exits. With the basic geometry of our road network pretty much locked in, some congestion is inevitable — as every parent who’s been stuck in a long pick-up queue knows.
Still, we have made improvements at several school buildings over time by better defining pickup and drop-off zones, reorienting parking, striping crosswalks, and so forth. The significance of this most recent step is that it will engage independent, professional consultants to take a fresh and comprehensive look . . . and hopefully identify new options during the coming year.
While focused specifically on schools, this analysis is fully consistent with our larger “complete streets” initiative, which aims to help all of us get around more easily and safely by motor, pedal, or foot.