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Committee urges town action on dangerous traffic patterns at NES
Summary
School committee members described congested, unsafe arrival and dismissal traffic at NES, said volunteers were told they cannot direct traffic without police training, and said they will press the town safety committee and await a Homeland Security assessment.
Committee members raised safety concerns about arrival and dismissal at Northbridge Elementary School (NES), describing parent vehicles driving around buses, backups at pickup times and pedestrians risking crossing at unsafe points. "We have no control. We have nobody directing traffic. We have no signs. We have no lights," a district speaker said while urging town coordination.
Members recounted that a parent volunteer, identified in discussion as Mr. Hoffman, had previously assisted with directing traffic but was later told by the police department that untrained volunteers could not perform that role. Committee members said police-certified traffic directors must be trained and qualified, and they reported they have asked the police department and the town safety team to review arrival and dismissal procedures.
District staff said they expect a Homeland Security arrival-and-dismissal assessment report in the coming months that may provide leverage for changes such as temporary one-way streets or directed traffic patterns. "Until we can get the town to work with us on traffic, getting out tickets, or directing the traffic down there, I just don't know that we're gonna ever be able to resolve these issues," a district representative said.
The committee agreed to continue following up with the town safety committee and to include bus drivers’ perspectives in those conversations. No formal policy or funding decision was made at this meeting; members described the matter as a local operational safety issue that requires town cooperation.
