Parents and neighbors press committee on school pickup parking and speed issues; police present speed-study findings

Multiple residents told the Traffic Safety Bikeways Pedestrian Committee that school pickup behavior is blocking driveways, occupying bike lanes and creating safety concerns near Weddell, Claggett and nearby elementary and middle schools.

Rachel Navarro (resident) said cars park in bike lanes and on curves during Claggett pickup, sometimes blocking driveways and preventing a school bus from dropping off her child. Don Davis (Southeast Neighborhood Association) described vehicles left overnight adjacent to Ben Miller Park and said the parkside gravel strip is a public right-of-way where people currently park.

Keizer police and public-works staff explained enforcement challenges. Officer Powell said that by the letter of the law, many drivers are "not parked because it's an occupied vehicle. They're just merely stopped," which limits enforceability for long-stopping vehicles. He offered targeted enforcement and suggested working with school principals, parent volunteers or newsletters to reduce unsafe pickup patterns; several committee members recommended school outreach as an early step.

Separately, residents Janine and Daniel Kidd reviewed a Park Meadow traffic study: over a seven-day period the count was 1,613 vehicles, an average speed of 24.15 mph, 50th percentile (median) 23.8 mph and 85th percentile ~28 mph. Officer Powell said the survey showed only 11 vehicles exceeded 36 mph during the survey week, which makes automated or enforcement-only remedies difficult because the high-speed violators were a very small fraction of total traffic. Powell offered to conduct periodic targeted enforcement and to work with residents on selected observation dates and a mobile speed reader board for education.

Committee recommendations and next steps included asking residents to approach school administrators about pickup patterns, coordinating neighborhood volunteers for educational outreach, and returning to the committee with updates or additional data. Staff and police encouraged residents interested in evidence-gathering to follow guidance (camera frame rates and a 50–100 foot distance) so video can be used to calculate speed reliably.

Selected quotes: "The parents just park right in front of our houses. It's hard to get out," said resident Rachel Navarro. Officer Powell: "By the letter of the law, they're not parked because it's an occupied vehicle. They're just merely stopped."