I have been reading about all of the uproar regarding the shutting of left-hand turns on Route 1 and believe me I feel for the people of Penns Neck. But has anyone noticed the horrendous traffic pattern changes that have occurred due to a recent change in the parking situation at High School North?
I heard over the summer that due to the seniors racing along the back row of the front parking lot, that a change was made (also heard the change came about after the township spent thousands of dollars to call in a consultant to determine how to improve the traffic flow within the school grounds).
I have a child at Community Middle School and a senior at North. My senior is still learning how to drive but will receive her license very soon. I have her drive every morning to school; first dropping off her brother at CMS, then trying to maneuver through the solid-steel line of cars crowding Grovers Mill Road to make a left into the HSN parking area. It’s always been a bear to come out of any of the three schools regardless of whether making a right or left hand turn without hitting someone or having someone hit you, but crossing over the lane of traffic to get into the turn lane for the high school is that much more challenging. However, since the principal of North changed the parking pattern for the Seniors, the traffic density has exponentially grown.
The senior parking lot has moved from the front of the school to the right-hand side where the parent drop-off is. That means that the bulk of traffic flows in the same direction from two inputs. The only people allowed to venture to the left of the entry lanes are the teachers. Imagine the scenario: New drivers trying to cut into traffic, teachers trying to cross over two lanes of traffic, permit-learners nervously making their way amongst the aggressive cutting and stopping, and parents dropping off their children while trying to get to work on time.
During school hours in the morning, Grovers Mill Road has become a parking lot from end to end. Coming from CMS and trying to cut into a steady stream of cars requires the dexterity and skill of a brain surgeon. My poor kid is really getting a taste of the stress and fear every seasoned driver has experienced over a lifetime but within the period of a school year.
Now let’s talk about the trek the seniors have to make once they get their cars into the newly-designated parking lot. They now have to walk across two lanes of traffic. One lane is the steady stream of parents dropping off their children, and the other is the turn-around where they actually stop their cars; drop off their little darlings, and then take off at top speed in order to try and make up the time they lost in the traffic jam in front of the school.
This is where the seniors are really challenged! Not only do they have to trust that these parents will stop in time for them to make it across the first lane, but then they have to safely traverse through the stopping and leaping-into-action of the second lane. I witnessed one frustrated parent who finally got sick of waiting for traffic to move and bolted out of line to the head of the drop-off line, narrowly missing a child trying to cross to get into the school.
Do we really need to wait until someone gets seriously hurt before we fix this catastrophe? The students and teachers hate the change but the principal sticks behind his decision to everyone’s detriment.
I was told by the principal that the safety of the parking lot has improved but I can’t see it. He stands every morning outside with one of his workers and they chat and look very comfortable from where they stand, but do they really see or experience what us poor drivers are going through? I’ve asked him that and he told me to get to school earlier. Sorry but I can’t drop my kids off at 6:30 a.m. to avoid this traffic and don’t find his remedy appealing.
If I were the principal of High School North, I would ask for my money back from that talented consultant he used to make our daily driving experience tantamount to a day at a bumper-card ride at Great Adventure.
Randi Francis
Plainsboro
