Speeding cars, long wait times, and near miss fender-benders have been a common occurrence in the school parking lots in past years.
With the new traffic pattern that has been implemented this year, however, this will hopefully be a thing of the past.
This change was a result of the collaboration among House 2 Assistant Principal Ryan O’Connor, Principal Jason Parent, Resource Officer Michael Tufo, and House 1 Assistant Principal Abbey Sloper, who spent many hours this past summer discussing ways to keep students safe and traffic moving.
While there is some confusion regarding the new pattern, the new changes put in place are already proving themselves worthy of staying.
In the morning, parents can now only drop off their students behind the building by the 600s entrance. They then must go behind the gym instead of turning left into the Main Lot.
This reroute was implemented to direct cars away from students walking into the school, as well as to fit more cars into line. With parents and students going around the gym, students can get to their destination without worrying about being hit or having to wait for a car to let them cross, which is a big plus if you’re running late to class.
In the afternoon, students can often be eager to get home, so they may speed by other cars and people walking to try to beat the buses or to just to get off campus. This can be very unsafe, so this year Officer Tufo stands at the intersection at Mammoth and allows all the buses to exit campus whether the light is green or not.
This gets the buses out as one massive group in about a minute, which means the buses are no longer a race to beat. Now there is less pressure to speed in the parking lots and no longer a need to run to your car without looking both ways.
Is it perfect? No, nothing can be “perfect” for everyone.
Besides, administrators are still open to making modifications when the need arises. In fact, since school started there have already been some changes made. Over the last couple of weeks as unforeseen problems have arisen or students and parents have brought up concerns, admin have done their best to make the necessary modifications to the plan.
While change can be difficult, the implementation of this new traffic pattern is something to be praised, not criticized. After all, admin is just trying to maintain student safety while also decreasing wait time in the parking lots. No one can fault them for wanting to do that.
Email the LHS administrators sent out to Londonderry families on August 19, 2022:
In partnership with the Londonderry Police Department to improve safety and to alleviate Mammoth Road traffic congestion at the start and end of the school day, a new morning student drop-off and afternoon student pickup zone and traffic pattern has been created for Londonderry High School.
Parents who drop off and/or pick up their children during these times must now only utilize the north side entrance near the baseball field on Mammoth Road. Parents will be directed to follow the one-way road around the back of the high school to where the new drop-off/pickup zone will be located. Parents will enter a marked drop-off/pickup traffic lane to access the designated zone. Students will enter or exit the building through the 600’s corridor doors at the south end of LHS.
After pick-up and drop-off, parents will be directed around the back of the gymnasium and then use the perimeter of the main parking lot to exit school property. This will be the same route for students and staff exiting the northside plateau parking lot in the afternoon.
This new zone will be the only permitted area during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup times. There will no longer be drop-off and pickup zones near the plateau parking lot, along the main entrance driveway, in front of the 600’s or in front of the gymnasium at the start and end of the school day.
Bob Lincoln Way (entering / exiting the main lot) will remain open in the morning only for students with Main Lot Parking Permits. Traditional school traffic patterns and the front entrance pick-up/drop-off zone will resume after the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal times.
LHS administrators and teachers will be present to help facilitate these changes. For your convenience, please refer to the accompanying Google Earth image with the highlighted school traffic route and drop-off/pickup zone.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Sincerely,
LHS Administration and LPD
