Village & School Team Up To Alleviate HCS Traffic
HEUVELTON - Traffic on Washington Street is expected to flow better after stop signs at the York Street intersection were removed.
The sign removal came as part of a joint effort from the village and school to minimize traffic problems that may arise from the school's new elementary drop-off zone, which was added as part of the capital project.
Superintendent Susan E. Todd said the addition will allow parents to drop elementary students off at the same end of the school they attend classes in. The old drop-off zone, which will remain intact, was located on the far end of the building - forcing the younger students to shuffle through a sea of high-schoolers to reach their classrooms. Mrs. Todd is asking that parents utilize the drop-off zones and steer clear of the bus zone which sits between the drop-offs.
"No vehicles should enter the front parking lot where the buses drop off students. They need to use the new elementary drop-off or existing drop-off to the right hand side of the main entrance that can be entered through Rensselaer Street."
The new zone will allow drivers to pull into an entrance nearest the school, drop off their passengers and exit the loop on the State Street side of the zone.
Mayor Barbara Lashua said because the drop-off will alter traffic at the intersection, the board decided that removing the stop sign would eliminate confusion and allow for a steady flow.
"The village board and the school district needed to work in conjunction with it because the zone's traffic pattern affects the traffic pattern on Washington Street," she said.
Mrs. Lashua said the decision was discussed and supported by members of the school board. Before finalizing the decision, the board consulted the New York State Department of Transportation and the St. Lawrence County Highway Department.
"We wanted more steady traffic flow in hopes of avoiding confusion as to who had the right way," Mrs. Lashua said.
The stop signs were replaced by freshly painted crosswalks and a lengthened school zone that extends to the end of the playground.
Mrs. Lashua asks those driving down Washington Street to slow down and use caution as it will take time to become familiar with the change.
"We added additional signage for crosswalks and we are hoping people will be mindful of the fact that crosswalks are there," she said. "Change can be frustrating but we as a board feel it is the best course of action."
Mrs. Lashua said traffic on Washington Street will be monitored closely over the next few months to ensure things are moving slowly. If they are not, the issue will be revisited.
"We'll continue to look at it closely and see how things are working and make modifications if need be, but we are hoping we have this right the first time out of the gate."
