Temporary Street Closures and One-way Streets
These images illustrate the temporary closure of a neighborhood street adjacent to the school in Seven Trees, CA (top) and Monroe Middle School, CA (bottom). The closure is marked by the use of movable barricades.
Temporary street closures during student arrival and departure times can improve the efficiency and safety of the drop off and pick up of students at school. Temporary street closures eliminate motor vehicles in areas congested with pedestrians, bicyclists, and perhaps busses. Another similar technique is to designate a street as one-way during drop-off and pick-up time. Signs are essential for this method.
Both temporary street closures and temporary use of one-way streets can work well in densely developed neighborhood schools. Any proposed street closures must be approved by the appropriate local transportation agency and be coordinated closely with neighbors. It is also important to ensure that by employing either of these techniques, it does not create traffic problems on other streets. Remember that all of these techniques should improve the safety of the overall process and not simply relocate the chaos.
Tool: Temporary street closure and one-way street
What is it and how does it work?
- Officially close street to traffic or create a one-way street only during drop-off and pick-up times.
Benefits strategy provides
- Decreases traffic and chaos at drop-off and pick-up times with minimal cost.
Key factors to consider
- Coordination with local government and adjacent property owners is necessary.
- School officials may have to place and remove barricades and maintain them during the street closure.
- Do not relocate traffic problems to adjacent neighborhood streets by employing this strategy.