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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2013_M035c Ltr to School Board Chair re Walk Zones COUNCIL MEETING August 12, 2013 MOTION 2013-035c I move to approve the draft letter to School Board Chairman Hornberger with edits as noted. 1 I Page Town of Kristen C. Umstattd Council Members �pp� Mayor Kevin D. Wright Thomas S. Dunn,II ems Katie Sheldon Hammier Kelly Burk Virginia David S.Butler Fernando "Marty" Martinez Vice Mayor 25 West Market Street,Leesburg,VA 20175 • (703)771-2733/(703)771-2727 fax • councilMeesburgva.gov www.leesburgva.gov August 12, 2013 Mr. Eric Hornberger, Chair Loudoun County School Board LCPS Administrative Appeals Committee Dear Chairman Hornberger and Loudoun County School Board Members: First, thank-you to the members of the School Board who were able to attend the Debbie Rose's town hall meeting last week. The Town of Leesburg takes great pride in being home to 16 schools and approximately 13,000 students as part of the Loudoun County Public School System. Our schools are an important part of the fabric and community of Leesburg. The Town Council and Town Staff have a long tradition of working together with the School Board and School Administration to support building and opening new schools, forging strong relationships with our School Resource Officers, and helping get our children to and from school every day as safely as possible. As we have become aware of the School Board's change in the practice of how the school board is going to implement the walking zone policy in general, and the Jill Weiss appeal regarding the policy in particular, we have several concerns that we feel should cause you to: (1) delay the current planned implementation of the policy interpretation for one year, or(2) grant an exception, as requested by Ms. Weiss. Our concerns are three-fold and can be categorized as follows: • The Process • Traffic Safety • Pedestrian Safety The Process Used in Making The Decision to Enforce the Existing Policy Did not Include Town Police, Town Transportation Officials, HOA Representatives. The School Board direction to implement/enforce the existing policy of walking zone boundaries did not include the parties necessary to understand the implications of this change or address efforts to maximize traffic and pedestrian safety. The Town should have been consulted by virtue of having 16 schools located within the town and having the responsibility for traffic design and safety on Town streets. The Leesburg Police Chief contacted school staff concerning the safety of the students who were impacted by the proposed policy change particularly as it related to the increased need for student school crossings. Town staff was not provided information concerning the plan until after it was developed. It has only been through the appeal process discussion and walking the proposed routes that the town has gained a practical understanding of what may be happening. Hometown of the 21 Century Eric Hornberger Loudoun County School Board Administrative Appeals Committee August 12, 2013 Page 2 The town has received information from the public about the impacts of the School Board change concerning the"on-the-ground busing policy" related to Tuscarora High School (THS). Smarts Mill Middle School(SMS) and Frances Hazel Reid(FHR) Elementary School. Most of the discussion below affects the students of the above schools; however, there may be similar concerns in relation to all schools in Leesburg that will be impacted by this change in the school system's commitment to busing students. The town has not been provided with information concerning the impacts to on-the-ground changes for other schools; but anticipate the town could have similar concerns in relation to the other schools as well. Between school census data,traffic counts, models, and on-the-street reconnaissance, all parties should have worked together to gain an understanding of the implications to students and drivers before a school board decision was made. It would also be important to anticipate whether additional crossing guards are needed and included in a plan that could have been presented to parents prior to a decision. It is important to get feedback and input from the community. This should have been the first step in the process; not the last step after a decision has already been made. More vehicles will be on the road, increasing traffic in a congested area and making traffic safety more challenging. The expansion in the size of walking zones will result in the increase of the number of pedestrians and students walking to school AND the number of vehicles on the street. Many parents will drive their children to school and/or the students will drive themselves to school. While the town cannot project the actual number of vehicles because of a lack of advance planning, we can be certain there are going to be more cars on the road to THS. At North King Street near Dry Hollow Road there are 5,500 average daily car trips and at Battlefield at North King Street there are about 5,000. These are among the highest numbers where we have vehicles and school walkers together. Given the existing traffic counts and any level of increased traffic volume, we can conclude the following: • Traffic congestion and traffic back-ups that currently exist at the Tuscarora High School entrance will get worse. The likelihood of traffic accidents increases with an increase in traffic volume and complexity of movement. • Traffic congestion and back-ups that currently exist at the intersection of Battlefield and North King will get worse. It is not uncommon that traffic on Battlefield Parkway approaching North King to back up to Catoctin Circle with current traffic volumes. • The number of parking complaints from residents near THS and Loudoun County High School (LCHS) will increase as the number of student drivers will increase and park in neighborhoods. Eric Hornberger Loudoun County School Board Administrative Appeals Committee August 12, 2013 Page 3 • The Town annually receives complaints by residents as student drivers flood neighborhoods in an attempt to avoid parking fees charged by school property. The Town Council receives the brunt of those complaints. It is clear from the complaints by those residents they do not view the schools as a good neighbor. • Congestion around the school drop off areas will increase, potentially increasing safety concerns. The Town encouraged the schools to provide for a second entrance at THS for use at all times. A second entrance will improve traffic flow at and around the school and the Town continues to believe that would be a worthwhile improvement. Concerns About Student Pedestrian Safety Historically in the Town of Leesburg the Loudoun County Public Schools have provided bus service to students that would have had to walk across a four-lane divided highway that did not have traffic and/or pedestrian signals and a crossing guard. This was the case for students at all levels that lived south of Battlefield Parkway attending THS, SMS, and FHR Elementary. This was also the case for elementary students walking from north of Battlefield Parkway to Leesburg Elementary School after the tunnel was closed. The Town continues to support this practice and policy. Bus service should continue to be provided to all students that would have to walk to THS from south of Battlefield Parkway in the absence of additional crossing guards and other locations in town where this condition exists. Many of the likely walking routes between THS and homes south of Battlefield Parkway are on "trails". The trail network in Exeter Subdivision south of Battlefield Parkway is owned and maintained by the Exeter Home Owners Association(HOA). The HOA has stated that they do not have the financial resources to remove snow and ice from those trails during winter conditions. The trail along King Street north of Battlefield to the school property boundary is owned by the Town. The Town does have a snow plan that calls for the clearing of the trail after Town streets are clear. There are a number of students currently walk along Dry Hollow Road; in addition, some parents use this as an unofficial drop off area,mixing vehicles and students. In fact, some students living south of Battlefield Parkway may access THS via Dry Hollow Road. The Leesburg Police Department suggests the consideration of student"safety patrols" be examined and potentially implemented to enhance walker safety from vehicles and potential bully or predator threats. Eric Hornberger Loudoun County School Board Administrative Appeals Committee August 12, 2013 Page 4 Summary and Conclusions We, the Mayor and Members of the Leesburg Town Council strongly support approval of the appeal or a delay of the new practice regarding implementation of the walking zone policy of at least one year. We believe traffic and student walker safety can be enhanced by study and planning for additional vehicle traffic. Options, such as: adjustments to signal timing, pedestrian walk times, right turn limits, on-school site traffic flow, additional crossing guards, and school safety patrols. must be examined and mitigation efforts implemented before a final change in policy is made. The Town should have been part of the discussion, process, and implementation. While conditions on the street meet all normal traffic safety requirements of the policy, sometimes the actual conditions on the ground warrant exceptions to the policy. Safety is not a matter of whether we can check the box; but whether the specific circumstances surrounding this request have been considered. Parents and our collective constituents, are counting on us to provide as safe environment from the moment our children walk out the door in the morning, while they are in school, and until they return at the end of the day from school. Working together, we can meet that obligation and duty. Thank you for your consideration or our request. II Kristen C. Umstattd David S. Butler Mayor Vice Mayor y t Thomas S. Dunn, II ouncil Member Council Member 1-$17' ""r/c4.,4-1 V6-Vvii.j4:4 -evu' Katie Sheldon Hammler Fernando -Marty"'Martinez Council Member Council Member Key' . right Council Member