Well, Linda, if you still sat in traffic for that long to get to the RHS entrance, then obviously the traffic situation has not been relieved to any level of satisfaction. There needs to be a long term solution and this need has been voiced since 2005. Band aiding it through Homestead Village solves no one area - traffic congestion on S. Finley, safety concerns at RHS and also in the Village. The solution lies in the hands of the Board Of Ed, Township Committee, Township Engineer and the police, all of whom need to be a part of this. I have to say that Mr. Howlett and Valerie Goger must know by now that this has been nothing short of a mistake.

"It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character.”

Please, show your character before someone is injured or killed.

Not only does there need to be a long term solution but a short term one as well. In the meantime we need to have a structured drop off with staff members outside managing the process. I know that my kids who walk to Cedar Hill are safe because both Mr. Caldwell and Mrs. Koeckert are outside stopping the cars as children cross the street. I also know that the cars going to William Annin will move quickly because there are two teachers outside encouraging the traffic to drive all the way to the front of the school before stopping. This doesn't exist at the high school and why not? At a minimum this process needs to be established so that cars aren't weaving in and out of traffic and students aren't crossing in the middle of the street. Even without the buses the procedure isn't safe.

Clearly, this problem is not going to be solved overnight. In the meantime the buses should be pulled from Homestead Village while another short term solution is put in place until a longtime one is found. It is clear to everyone that the BOE is at odds with the township committee over the use of the municipal lot. Yes, this would solve the problem but until a compromise is met, a safer option needs to be put in place not just one that diverts the problem to Homestead Village. At the BOE meeting it was suggested trying to have a separate bus loop that goes to the right while cars go to the left. Why not try this and see if it works? The problem is the traffic at Ridge. The solution should begin back at the site of the problem.

At the initial BOE meeting, the administration claimed redirecting the buses was a success because of a significant reduction in traffic time. That is not the case, and any improvement has been boosted by more people dropping off at Cedar Hill, along with the fact that RHS finally put some staff outside to direct traffic. I totally agree that RHS should have put staff outside BEFORE making this decision to move the buses. The incremental time savings from the rerouting of buses alone is likely only a few minutes, and does not justify the associated risks incurred.

I absolutely agree with Christina! The traffic flows consistently at Annin. Perhaps Ridge HS should call Annin and let them explain how they accomplish that.
Our sleepy little neighborhood is no longer sleepy.
Pull the buses out. We shouldn't be subjected to the Ridge HS buses and then the Cedar Hill buses. Routing the RHS buses on top of the Cedar Hill create traffic from 6:50-8:40. This is not acceptable. What's next?... a traffic light!

I think the parent(s) who speed on Peachtree (or any of the township's residential streets for that matter) should be hung or at the very least be subjected to the same threat to their children's well-being; being stopped by the police isn’t enough – they’ll just think they got caught this time – not enough of a lesson but I digress.
But realistically, don't let a few rotten apples spoil it for the rest of us; I have personally dropped off three generations of Ridge students at Cedar Hill while complying with the speed limits so I feel very strongly about being forced to follow the herd and join the cattle cars waiting to drop off their precious cargo at the front door.
Traffic has always been horrendous and prevails even with the buses being diverted so definitely agree that something needs to be done. We know the township doesn’t want to perform construction but (ignorant of land ownership, right-to-use, green acres, etc) nor us because of ensuing taxes but there is so much land through which to cut a road from Collyer and from South Maple – I hope the traffic adviser would be able to see it as potential avenues for relief.

What if either the buses or cars drop the kids off at the Community Center on North Maple and the kids walked up the path to the HS?

I don't understand why the morning buses can't be re-routed through the Municipal Complex. Buses can drop off the students in front of Astor field and then exit onto Collyer. I would suggest a "right turn only between 7am-8am" sign plus someone possibly manning the exit giving right of way to the buses exiting (and entering if need be). I would think that solution would help alleviate buses backing up on the Complex exit drive. There are 25 buses in all. How long can it take them to exit if all are forced to turn right and traffic is stopped to allow them to turn right? The police department is concerned about re-routing buses through the complex possibly impeding them in the case of an emergency. Point taken but I would say this....if there was an emergency, are all the police cars sitting in the station waiting to go out? There are no other police cars in the general vicinity that could respond between 7am-8am? Or, if the police did indeed need to get out of the complex in the middle of buses exiting, can't they just put on their emergency lights, stop the bus traffic enough to make a quick exit onto Collyer, left or right? How is that different than if they have to respond to an emergency and attempt try to get thru the Lake/Finley intersection which is backed up in 3 different directions with high school traffic?

Agree with Paula and Christina. Supervision should be the first "experiment". The BOE is trying to keep the costs of getting kids to school outside their budget, first by not providing busing and second by getting the town to build roadways into the school (which should have been within the budget for the building expansion). Perhaps this brouhaha was designed to distract the community from the fact that there will no longer be any oversight of the school budget. They can now raise their budget by 2%, and not include items that parents or the community will end up having to pay for with higher municipal taxes. My prediction?- Count on increased salaries, but better start taking up collections for kindergarten, etc.

If I had a student at Ridge, the first question I would ask is why isn't Principal Howlett outside each and every morning directing traffic. Why hasn't he lined up teachers to be outside during arrival to help as well. At all other schools in town there is a specific plan in place to ensure safety for all students and to keep traffic moving along that includes administration and teachers. At Ceadr Hill Mr. Mollica is outside every single morning. Why is it that the same can not be said at Ridge. I would think implementing a protocol that includes administrative overseeing should be a crucial part of any Ridge plan. So why exactly, is this not the case? Mr. Howlett has been involved since the buses were rerouted but why was he invisible before this experiment? Makes you wonder about his commitment to student safety.

Not defending Principal Howlett but the kids need to start taking responsibility for their own actions, to continue to develop their sense of general awareness, nurture their independence, and most importantly to realize that there are other people out there with their own agenda that don't include them. There won't be crossing guards in college nor teachers that will remind them to do their homework nor Friday folders notices for the parents.

Back to the problem at hand... all of us came up with great ideas and should be fodder to solving the problem but Debra's idea is totally feasible and doable which will provide the much needed instant relief. Our sport events do that already - discharging the kids there and some even park the buses there for the duration.

Or - how about this....if we need to build a road - how about a one way, one lane exit only road from the east side of the Police Station directly onto Collyer, hence a 2nd exit out for police use only? Then buses can utilize the Munipal Complex for morning drop off without impact to the police in case of an emergency. I'm not an engineer but certainly the grading has got to be better than between the high school and N. Maple and the distance is for sure alot shorter so I'd think it would be less expensive than other road construction options. Not that I'm a proponent of spending but shouldn't the police station have more than one way out anyway?