Parent Frustrated with School Traffic Says Fairfax County Ignoring Safety Problem

A local parent, Karen Clerici, from Oakton is taking a Fairfax County elementary school to task for creating what she calls a “serious safety risk” during pick-up and drop-off near the school in Oakton.

PHOTO by Karen Clerici

Here’s the letter, written to Oakton Elementary School:

I am a resident of the Willow Creek neighborhood, less than one mile from your school. I travel Miller Rd, behind your school, daily from 8:15 am until 9:00 am and again from 3:30 pm until 4:10 pm every day, as my children attend private school without a busing option.

I am sure that you are aware that your kiss-and-ride carpool line that exists on Miller Rd poses a serious safety risk to the cars that travel Miller Rd as well as the Oakton families that cross Miller Rd, walking their children to school, and to the cars in the kiss-and-ride line themselves.

After several near head-on-collisions with cars trying to circumvent the stalled carpool lines that your school creates every single day, I have finally reached my limit with what is an acceptable amount of safety risk. My 13-year-old daughter rides in the front seat of our car, and I cannot even count anymore the number of times that another car is coming at us head-on due to the overflowing kiss-and-ride line. I have taken several photos of the gridlock that your parents create each day.

On Thursday, August 11, 2014, at 3:50 pm after encountering the same problem, and noting that your carpool line members simply turn on their hazard lights but remain in the roadway over 15 cars deep, I decided to ask the police officer assigned to car 4189 (in the Oakton Elementary parking lot) if the Fairfax County Police Department was aware of the many cars breaking the law on Miller Rd. I was told that he had worked this area for several years and knew of the situation, however he was not prepared to ticket cars because they had no other choice as to where they could drop off their children. I was also informed that this was a school board decision, not one for the Oakton Elementary school administration.

Basically, from this conversation, it is my understanding that the needs of parents overrides the safety of the school community and community at large. This I find unacceptable.

Today, at 3:50 pm, I noticed that several cars impeded the flow of traffic by entering the driveways of homes located on Miller Rd (in essence trespassing) because it was too “inconvenient” to turn around in a safe location. I also enjoyed watching two cars pull into the house adjacent to the carpool line and drive over the front yard in an effort to get in the carpool line more quickly.

Articles have been written regarding this county-wide issue. An article in the Oakton Patch (http://patch.com/virginia/oakton/traffic-nightmares-during-schools-arrival-dismissal#.VByNJigx9lJ) recognizes that there is a serious safety problem that is being neglected by Fairfax County. Similarly it appears Fairfax County police is also neglecting this issue, as they have a responsibility to the safety of the overall community.

As educators, I would hope that you would put your creative thought process to work to offer a solution for the Oakton community as soon as possible. As a concerned citizen my only recourse when I see flagrant violations of the the law is to contact Fairfax County police and I will begin to do so to ensure the safety of the community and my family.

Please review the attached photos in this email, all of which, I am sure, are not surprising to your administration.

Sincerely,

Karen Clerici