Topic: UES SRTS August 2010 Meetings
Topic type:
SRTS Meetings prior to 2010-2011 school year (Bradley, Moody, McPhee).
Meeting date: Thursday, August 12 2010, 10am
Attendees:
- Union Elementary School Principal Owen Bradley
- Montpelier School Resource Officer Corporal Mark Moody
- UES SRTS Coordinator Barry McPhee
Minutes (from memory):
- Barry led off describing the Safe Routes To School (aka SR2S/SRTS) program’s starts and stops between 2007-2010. Barry described the SRTS big picture in which Education, Encouragement and Enforcement must co-exist. At UES, these are needed in order to stem two mutually-reinforcing elements comprising the “mess” at UES:
- The mess itself, which discourages parents from allowing their kids to commute to UES on their own;
- The resulting high vehicle count at UES which creates the mess.
- Mark noted that SRTS’ “enforcement” is, in Montpelier Police Dept., terms prevention, then intervention, and as last resort enforcement.
- Possible Traffic Pattern Changes -- Owen sketched out those which he and Barry had been discussing:
- moving the schoolbus drop-off to Park St.
- Mark pointed out that the “opaqueness” of the buses expedites parents’ movement out of the UES zone because they can’t linger to watch their kids.
- Mark pointed out that the “opaqueness” of the buses expedites parents’ movement out of the UES zone because they can’t linger to watch their kids.
- blocking Park St. from all other drop-off traffic
- using Loomis westbound as main drop-off for all other traffic. This traffic would continue westward to exit the UES zone.
- along Loomis eastbound, “no parking” beginning approximately 300-500’ before UES (“No Parking before 9am”? Or just “No Parking”?).
- pickup (and dropoff?) on Loomis for grades k-2; on Park for 3-5.
- moving the schoolbus drop-off to Park St.
- Initial “study” of the current dropoff/pickup scene -- Owen stated he wants to observe the current arrangement at the outset of the school year. Instituting some version of the above changes to occur only after this “reconnaissance period.”
- Upcoming communication(s) to UES community -- regarding traffic changes and complementary SRTS walking/biking programs:
- after the “reconnaissance period” a letter will go out to parents announcing both the traffic pattern changes and concurrent commencement of Walking School Buses and Drop-off Points.
- letter will stress the general/overall importance of SRTS’ presence and parents’ participation.
Follow-up:
- An email round-robin during the next few weeks to extend this discussion.
- Barry to email to Owen the Walking School Bus “kit” available to UES parents to organize a WSB.
- Barry to inform Owen the amount of SRTS funds available to pay enforcement personnel (UES parents).
- Owen: Remaining budget $3656, to be spent in Fall 2010 semester. Though the budget breaks this out into specific items, I believe we can be somewhat "self-directed." I'll check with our Consultant.
- An additional $2110 may (VTrans SRTS Coordinator: "better than 50-50 chance") become available for Spring 2011.
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