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Seven Oaks board says afternoon traffic at elementary school is a safety concern

 
Crossing guard Jeanine Talbot stops traffic on Mystic Oak Boulevard in front of Seven Oaks Elementary, where parents park on the road while waiting for students.
Crossing guard Jeanine Talbot stops traffic on Mystic Oak Boulevard in front of Seven Oaks Elementary, where parents park on the road while waiting for students.
Published Jan. 29, 2015

WESLEY CHAPEL

For about an hour every school-day afternoon, lightly traveled Mystic Oak Boulevard becomes a traffic snarl.

The Seven Oaks Community Development District wants to put an end to it.

Specifically, it wants parents to stop "illegally parking" on the road while waiting to pick up their children at Seven Oaks Elementary School, citing safety concerns over a clogged roadway.

The CDD sent a letter to superintendent of schools Kurt Browning seeking an action plan, preferably before its Feb. 11 meeting.

School and district officials empathized with the concerns. But aside from having a "bully pulpit" to encourage parents not to park on Mystic Oak, they said, the school can't do much.

"We just don't have the jurisdiction to control traffic flow on public roads or CDD streets," board attorney Dennis Alfonso said. "They're their roads."

That doesn't mean school leaders won't try, though.

Principal Shirley Ray is seeking advice on ways to manage parent arrival and student dismissal at her school of 1,100 students.

"I do understand the concerns the community has," Ray said.

But putting more vehicles into the school's car loop wouldn't really take them off the road, she said, noting that the two-lane pickup line already stacks into the roadway as the 3:40 p.m. bell approaches. It would just extend the time it takes to clear the campus.

"We are trying to seek additional possibilities," Ray said.

She and several parents pointed to an undeveloped parcel of land directly in front of the school as a potential solution. Parents used to park there. But during wet weather, it becomes swampy and unusable.

"Why don't they build a parking lot so we can park the cars and get the kids?" wondered Renata Aragao, parked roadside at 3 p.m. to wait for her two children.

The county owns the land, though, with future plans to place a library there. Whether the school system could work out a deal for the site has yet to be discussed.

While officials examine options, parents said they were content with the existing setup.

Cars begin rolling into the pickup line about 2:45 p.m.

Keri Fuentes usually gets the second spot in line. (The first position goes to an auction winner each year.) Fuentes says she'd rather spend an hour waiting for her two girls at the front of the line than show up later.

"I can get out of here quick, and I don't have to sit in line so long," she said, explaining that she passes her time playing games and watching videos.

By 3 p.m., the trickle of SUVs and minivans has steadily increased. Some head into the growing car loop. Others take a spot on the road, making sure to point themselves in the direction they need to head home, so they can avoid the coming jam.

"I am so used to it," said Susana Polanco, who stopped after picking up her daughter at middle school to wait for her fifth-grader. "It's so convenient."

The children labeled "walkers" simply parade to the sidewalk, where their parents claim them and whisk them away.

"It's much better than getting in line," said Cecelia Knopick, who stood outside her car with her dog, Dillon, waiting for her granddaughter, Victoria. "If we all had to get in line, I do not feel there would be enough space. It would take the school a lot longer to disperse us."

Crossing guards set out 17 cones at the school entrance to direct cars into the proper lanes. Once the bell rings and the children arrive, at 3:50 p.m., the guards step into the roadway with a sharp whistle, blocking traffic to allow the kids to stream across to their rides.

By 4:05 p.m. all of the cars are gone. But for a brief period, no one can get through. And that's what concerns the CDD the most.

"Safety concerns have been brought to the Board of Supervisors because access for emergency vehicles is severely restricted when parents park on District roads," attorney Mark Straley wrote.

Vivek Babbar, the CDD's lead lawyer, said his board sent its letter to convey the serious nature of the situation, which has existed for several years. He did not intend to be threatening, and said he looked forward to working with school leaders to find a solution. He did not expect to ask sheriff's deputies to ticket the parked cars.

"Hopefully, we'll get it resolved quickly," Babbar said. "We just have to put our minds together."

Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at jsolochek@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4614. Follow @jeffsolochek.

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