This analysis assembles many of the points and techniques presented in papers in the Facilities Institute of the Standard Administrative Licensure program of the University of Oregon, Fall 1997. I have included information from student papers and other sources that might be useful in information gathering or in development of solutions to these problems.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

In recent years, most families have begun bringing children to school in cars rather than using other modes of transportation. This has lead to congested parking lots and drop-off areas and at least the perception of unsafe conditions.

RESEARCH: WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

Why do parents bring their (and only their) children to school by car?

Most parents cite safety as their greatest concern. Why safety? Fear of abduction is often mentioned. Risk due to being hit by a car is cited as a reason for not walking or riding a bicycle.

Why are parents more afraid of abduction than previously? The reasons for this are not clear. I am unable to find any data indicating increased levels of abduction by strangers. In fact, the non-stranger (as opposed to custodial dispute) abduction rate is very low. Greater fear of abduction is probably generated by prominent coverage of abduction stories in the news media. Ironically, the fear of a very unlikely abduction is increasing the real and relatively high risk of injury or death on the school parking lot.

Why is abduction getting prominent coverage in the media? The reasons for that are also not clear, but it probably relates to marketing.

RESEARCH: DATA COLLECTION

It can be useful to have hard facts about this problem. This can be obtained by having volunteers count vehicles and recording behavior, passengers, etc. It can also help to video-tape several arrival/departure periods and review the footage at high speed. Parent and staff transportation surveys are also useful in identifying possible solutions.

PARTICIPATION

Most schools that are working on this problem use their site council or a special committee composed of teachers, administrators, parents, and technical advisors (architects, engineers, transportation officials). Parent groups are often consulting, and many schools have public forums devoted to this topic. For parents, this issue is often their number one concern related to the education of their children.

CONCEPTS

Here are some of the concepts that I have found for solutions to this problem. Remember that all solutions are local, so this is only an incomplete shopping list.

1. Education: As with many other problems, this can become an opportunity for education of kids and, ultimately, families. Class discussions and projects related to pedestrian safety, parking lot safety, bicycle safety, impact of vehicular congestion, air pollution, energy conservation, and many others can be tied to this very local problem.

2. Trip reduction: By reducing the number of cars involved in drop off and pick up, the amount of congestion reduces. It is often useful to couple ideas with the associated advantages. Your local transportation planners or transit authority can often provide help with these approaches. You can also offer incentives such as reserved closer parking for car pools. Attached is an example of a flyer used at a school in Eugene.

3. Redesigned drop-off/pick-up: Many schools have found that the following criteria should be met:

a. Separate bus loading areas from other areas and provide direct, safe sidewalk access from the bus doors to the school.

b. Separate car loading areas from bus and parking areas, and provide direct, safe sidewalk access from the vehicles to the school.

c. Design car loading areas so that double parking completely blocks the flow of traffic. In most instances, people double park when they perceive that traffic can still flow around them.

4. Provide safe access from parking to the school which minimizes crossing through parking lots, and provides safe crosswalks at those crossings.

5. Design drop off areas to not require backward movements by vehicles. Design parking to minimize backward movement except for leaving parking spaces.

6. Provide proper drainage at all parking areas so that children (and other pedestrians) avoiding puddles aren’t directed into the path of moving vehicles.

7. Make sure that kids walking to school have continuous sidewalks for access (except for crosswalks). Make sure that kids riding bikes to school have safe bike connections to the school and good bike parking when they arrive there

8. Relocated staff parking: Staff parking can be assigned in areas that are particularly unsafe or unsuitable for child drop-off, effectively blocking them for that use.

9. Active staffing and rule enforcement: Staff or parent volunteers can monitor parking lot and drop off areas at the beginning and end of the school day. Even the perception of being observed can improve parking lot etiquette considerably. If basic rules and etiquette are agreed to by all parties, then the lot will be largely self-enforcing, and the parking lot supervisors can concentrate on ensuring safety.

10. Staggered start/stop: By having some classes start and end earlier than others, the amount of congestion can be reduced considerably. This can cause problems for parents of children that start and end at different times. For that reason, the amount of stagger should be kept fairly low (such as 15 minutes) unless you have completely separate populations such as a school-within-a-school.

11. Use adjacent parking facilities if available: There are sometimes nearby or adjacent parking facilities (such as at a church) that are suitable for overflow parking. If permission can be obtained for use of the parking, signage plus simple pedestrian improvements can make them attractive alternatives to overcrowded parking lots.

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