Transportation Planning Requirements
Purpose: To provide a general overview of transportation planning requirements and general guidance for executing a transportation and traffic safety plan in support of the schools and sites impacted by the SY 2002 Bond Referendum.
Overview: There are many groups and individuals with a need to enter and use school sites during the operational hours of a school. A sound transportation plan must encompass and accommodate the traffic, staging and parking needs for the variety of vehicles generated by these groups/individuals.
As a minimum, the transportation/traffic plan must address the following categorical groups' traffic pattern, staging and parking needs:
Categorical User Groups of Schools Facilities
 |
School Buses and Special Needs Buses |
|
School Staff and Faculty vehicles |
|
Parents' and Day Care Pick-ups/Drops-off vehicles |
|
School Visitors' Vehicles |
|
Delivery and Maintenance Vehicles |
|
Students' Vehicles |
|
Emergency Vehicles |
|
Pedestrian Walkways |
|
Bicyclists |
To ensure that the school/facility design accommodates the space and traffic demands generated by each of the above groups, an analysis must be conducted with viable options recommended to meet each group needs.
The District will contact a consultant to perform such a traffic analysis and to collectively develop and recommend viable options.
The formulation of these recommendations is a collective effort between the new facility principals, the district staff, architects and program managers.
The 2002 Bond Referendum may include the construction of new buildings, renovations to change the use of present buildings or sites, construction additions to present buildings or sites and lastly the modernization of outdated and poorly planned buildings or sites. From a transportation and traffic analysis perspective, a collective review must be accomplished in conjunction with established committees, the District staff, architects and program managers to determine the following:
|
Traffic flow and accessibility from existing road networks (vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow.) |
|
Impact of traffic congestion and safety hazards. |
|
Size requirements of site to accommodate traffic and parking needs. |
Transportation planning requirements and planning guidance must be identified for consideration in the execution of a transportation and traffic safety plan for each respective school. The collection of data and formulation of this plan may extend from Phase one construction until final completion of the school's construction.
As recommended and reflected in the Districts Educational Specifications for High Schools and Middle Schools, it is strongly suggested that the architecture design for all new schools and renovated schools include the following as a minimum:
1. Separate loading zones for |
|
a) Students transported by bus |
|
b) Handicap students transported by bus |
|
c) Students transported by parents/day cares |
| |
|
2. Separate parking facilities/areas for |
|
a) Faculty and staff |
|
b) Visitors |
|
c) Students |
| |
|
3. Pedestrian and bicycle routes |
|
|
4. Roadways and access for |
|
a) Emergency vehicles |
|
b) Service vehicles |
| |
|
5. Athletic field parking |
|
a) Buses |
|
b) Cars |
| |
|
6. Bicycle racks |
When faced with an existing site particularly, compromises will most likely have to be made based on the physical structure already in place. Financial advantages of potential solutions must be weighed.
The following identifies a range of issues that must be included or addresses in the consultant's Traffic Analysis study:
|
Traffic impact (in community and school zone) |
|
Site access and roadways |
|
Pedestrian movement to and within school zone |
|
Drop-off zones at school facilities |
|
Traffic control signalization and signage |
|
Parking requirements and design |
|
Bus access to facilities |
|
Identification of students walking zones |
Bus routing scheduling, bus requirements and community bus stops servicing the school's population will be addressed and performed by the District Transportation staff in accordance with SDE regulations.
Back To Top
|
