There have been many questions about the morning drop off at Clearview Regional Middle School, the new drop off procedure and on this date, officers in the shoulder of the roadway.
As previously noted by school administrators, there have been several traffic studies completed and unfortunately the roadway cannot handle the amount of traffic at that time of the morning. To help alleviate the backup on Breakneck Road, a new drop off location was put in place at the Middle School.
By moving the drop off location to the end of the building, it allows for more cars to get off of the roadway and into the parking lot, thus alleviating some congestion on Breakneck Road. There are a few things that also need to be done by those dropping off their children.
Should a group of vehicles arrive at the same time, have your child exit the vehicle, proceed to the sidewalk and walk to the end of the building and enter the school. Parents that refuse to have their children exit the vehicle until they are in front of the door are exacerbating the problem. Having your child ready to exit there vehicles with their belongings can also help ease the drop off process and alleviate backups. Passing vehicles already in the drop off line so you can get to the front is also a safety concern.
Regarding today’s drop off, we have received repeated complaints about aggressive drivers passing on the right, off of the roadway and on the shoulder, which is illegal. Our officers were not blocking traffic, rather they were parked in the shoulder of the roadway to help prevent this from occurring. The driver of a vehicle may overtake a vehicle and pass another vehicle upon the right as provided under Section 39:4-85, only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. In no event shall such movement be made by driving off the pavement or main traveled portion of the roadway.
We understand that passing someone on the right while another vehicle is turning helps alleviate congestion, however, the concerns about passing vehicles on Breakneck Road at the entrances of both the Middle and High Schools pertain to drivers passing 10 to 15 cars at a time.
There is one alternative solution to the school-associated congestion which is available to every student in the district. Having your child take the bus would make a significant positive impact on all of the morning drop off concerns. More than half of the buses that arrive in the morning are less than half full of students.
