Students at Parkside Elementary School are partnering with Columbus to alleviate traffic concerns at an intersection near the school.
About 30 fifth-grade students are developing plans seeking to have the city install temporary improvements at Arlington and Parkside drives, said Edie Logston, a Parkside teacher.
Parents met with school officials in late February after notifying the school about safety concerns at the intersection, including how safe students are when walking to and from school in the area.
A flyer was sent home to parents seeking their input, Logston said.
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The school’s “car line,” where parents drop off and pick up students, is one area students are working to improve, said fifth-grader Aidan Brown. The “car line” often backs up and takes a long time to get through, Brown said.
The “car line” operates in a one-lane roadway, but some drivers squeeze through to make it a two-lane, even though there isn’t enough room for two cars to pass, Brown said.
Students also are evaluating why some cars aren’t stopping at the intersection’s stop signs, Brown said.
Logston’s class analyzed how many vehicles went through the intersection each morning and afternoon. In addition, students monitored car speeds with the help of the Columbus Police Department, and also checked whether cars were stopping at stop signs.
Students sketched ideas of potential solutions over a map of the intersection while identifying pros and cons of each proposal, Logston said.
The students presented their findings March 8 to Dave Hayward, city engineer and executive director of public works; and Mark Fenton, a public health, planning and transportation consultant from Boston, who is a consultant for the Columbus Park Foundation.
Also assisting the students were Emilie Pinkston, city senior planner; and Laura Garrett, who leads community initiatives for Healthy Communities in Columbus.
Parkside’s traffic issues are similar to problems identified at other schools across the country, Fenton said. He suggested adding curb extensions or creating a median in the roadway to differentiate two lanes.
Brown said students will continue to look at the data and think about a solution for the traffic congestion. A temporary solution might be suggested by the end of the school year.
The city engineering office will continue to look at the intersection’s traffic issues more closely, Hayward said.
“There is no ideal solution,” Hayward said. “We just want to think things through carefully.”
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Parkside Elementary School students said they plan to ask the city to consider the following improvements to the traffic flow around their school:
- Curb extensions as a way to direct traffic.
- Median islands that would take away double lanes from drivers attempting to squeeze around other vehicles.
- A mini-roundabout with islands that would divide lane traffic on both sides.
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