School traffic rant

It's 2:20 p.m., which means it's almost time for the second of my twice-daily blood pressure spikes, both induced by transporting kids to and from school. There's nothing like feet-dragging, complaining kids and traffic congestion to start the day off right (ahem). Likewise, there's nothing like more traffic congestion and word that the youngest foot-dragger has acted up again in class to make your afternoon. I think for Mother's Day my family can just get me a framed "Terrorist Negotiator" certificate to hang on the wall for having to deal with these unhappy little (or not so little) Foleys.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to suggest a rider to the $64 million bond issue that voters in Palestine ISD will decide upon this Saturday. Carve out a few dollars to paint a line down Wanda Drive as it runs beside Story School to create a "5th Grade Only" pickup lane and clearly mark it with a big "5" painted at the beginning by Moody Street and a road sign or two. Paint a second line parallel to the first and mark that newly created middle lane as "3rd and 4th Grade Only" so that the parents arriving for kids in those two grades can pull up without worrying if they're cutting line in front of other 3rd and 4th grade parents stuck in the middle of the 5th grade traffic. Ban 5th grade parents from parking along the curb on the opposite side of Wanda by the playground so that two-way traffic can flow. (if the bond passes and Story's grades change, you can re-label the lanes with the appropriate grades when that time comes.)

As it is now, if you get there too early, there'll be a line of cars parked along Wanda waiting to turn into the school's drive to pick up kids at the three wings. There'll also be half a dozen vehicles parked on the opposite side by the playground with parents sitting at the pavillion and waiting for their 5th graders to come out, with room in between for one lane of traffic to pass. I really don't see why anybody gets there at 3 p.m. or earlier to wait on the 5th grade when they're the last to be released, sometime after 3:15. It creates congestion and confusion because there's no way for a driver approaching from Moody to tell what grade the cars already there are waiting for until the assigned teacher is able to come outside and direct traffic. (Mr. Lamb, you deserve hazardous duty pay and a medal!) I've been early and sitting waiting to turn when other drivers have cruised right on up and cut in, which can be infuriating. I've also driven up later and mistakenly thought that only 5th grade parents were waiting, and so pulled on up only to find out otherwise. That's embarrassing and ought to be avoidable.

While I'm on my soapbox, I'd also like to suggest that a note be sent home at the beginning of the school year addressing drop-off/pickup driver etiquette. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like for the sake of keeping the lines at each wing from backing up, the driver at the front of the line whose child just got in the car should be allowed the courtesy of pulling away from the curb by the drivers approaching from more than one car length back. Again, maybe I'm wrong but it seems to me if you're driving past, say, the third grade wing and you're more than one car length behind the car picking up a child, you ought to be going slow enough to be able to stop to allow that 3rd grade parent to merge and the ones behind them to pull up. Wouldn't you want that parent to do so for you?