Sumner County committee backs sending Liberty Creek school traffic safety concerns to full commission and school board

Residents living near the new Liberty Creek school told the Sumner County Health and Emergency Services Committee on Jan. 6 that vehicles staging for student pickup and drop-off are blocking lanes and forcing drivers into oncoming traffic, creating what multiple speakers called an immediate life-safety risk.

The committee added the traffic-safety concern to its agenda and voted unanimously to recommend a resolution—originating in the Highway Committee—asking the full county commission and the Sumner County School Board to review road layout and safety at Hunters Lane, Latimer Lane, Wolfpack Way and Long Hollow Pike and to coordinate with the sheriff's office on enforcement.

Why it matters: Residents described repeated instances in which cars stacked in a turn lane blocked access for neighbors and emergency vehicles, and where drivers moved into oncoming traffic to avoid the backups. Committee members and residents said the problem combines roadway design, parking behavior during school pickup and drop-off, and inconsistent enforcement. The committee’s action aims to create a multi-pronged response that could include school-district changes, highway engineering review and sheriff’s enforcement.

Residents described long backups and near-misses. Mike McLeod, who said he lives in the Veil subdivision adjacent to the…