Parent says situation during pickoff and drop-off could lead to injury
Ian Burns/Metroland
Sheldon East, a parent of two children at the Midland school, said congestion on Seventh Street, where most of the pickups and drop-offs take place, has led to conflict between parents, teachers and residents.
“Because snowfall has been so heavy, there are snowbanks blocking the road,” he said. “People are parking on both sides of the street and blocking traffic. Residents are really becoming frustrated.”
East said the problem stems from neighbouring Sixth Street no longer being available for drop-offs and pickups.
“People are coming in faster and they have no patience. They’re cutting through parking lots where kids walk through and could be hit.”
“(Sixth Street is) where you used to pick up kids,” he said. “There’s plenty of room there.”
The school has not made any changes to its drop-off and pickup policy, said principal Carol Carpenter. She said the problem flows from the fact the Town of Midland has eliminated parking on Sixth Street.
“The parking rules have pushed everyone to Seventh Street,” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s also where our buses come in, so it creates a problem.”
People are becoming more aggressive as a result of the congestion, said East.
“People are coming in faster and they have no patience,” he said. “They’re cutting through parking lots where kids walk through and could be hit.”
Coun. Cody Oschefski said he has heard a few complaints about traffic issues in the area recently.
“I hear it’s starting to escalate,” he said. “I sent it into staff and the response was that it is a school board issue, so I sent it to the school board trustee. (It is a) bit of a tug-of-war.”
Carpenter said staff members are doing their best to help with the flow of traffic, even opening doors so parents don’t have to get out of their cars on Sixth Street.
“We actually (have) great service in the morning that parents could take advantage of,” she said. “I don’t see how drop-off is a concern when people could actually be using this.”
Source: Simcoe.com