Nothing irks parents and community members in the morning or
afternoon more than traffic congestion surrounding schools.
As San Benito County and its schools grow, community members and
local officials are studying the impacts on traffic and student
safety.
”
With growth, comes everything,
”
said Alice Flores, a member of Hollister’s Traffic Safety
Advisory Committee and Hollister School District Trustee.
Nothing irks parents and community members in the morning or afternoon more than traffic congestion surrounding schools.
As San Benito County and its schools grow, community members and local officials are studying the impacts on traffic and student safety.
“With growth, comes everything,” said Alice Flores, a member of Hollister’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and Hollister School District Trustee.
Hollister’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee studies the safe, efficient and convenient movement of people and goods on the city’s streets, said Matt Atteberry, assistant engineer with the Public Works Department and chairman of the committee.
While the committee studies more than just traffic around schools, congestion at schools in the morning and after school and the safety of students are concerns.
“We work together to cooperatively solve some of the traffic problems,” Flores said. “We want safe routes through town.”
The committee, organized in 1992, has three objectives – to review traffic safety complaints and requests, report to the City Council and school boards and write an annual report. The committee is composed of 13 members from various organizations that include school districts, Hollister Police Department, Council of Governments, California Highway Patrol and Caltrans.
Current issues regarding traffic at schools include the closure of Nash Road by San Benito High School, the extension of Westside Boulevard and traffic around R.O. Hardin School.
Because R.O. Hardin is surrounded by buildings, Line Street is the main artery used to drop kids off and pick them up, leading to congestion, Flores said.
“When the school was built, dirt fields surrounded it – traffic was not a problem,” she said. “(Now), there’s no place to go, no arteries.”
Also, many R.O. Hardin parents use Walnut Lane, a dead end, to drop off and pick up kids. Atteberry said. This leads to congestion that makes it hard for residents to pull out of their driveways in the morning, he said.
Marguerite Maze Middle School may get a red curb in front of the school due to parents who double park on Meridian Street and don’t use the drop off/pick up turn around, Atteberry said.
Flores would like to see more bike lanes on the city’s streets. The committee is also involved in bike helmet safety and increasing awareness about the danger of speeding, Flores said.
The committee meets every other month. The next meeting is Sept. 22 at 11 a.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers, 375 Fifth St.
