Elementary school pick-up traffic jam causing safety concerns for neighbors
Some residents are calling the drop-off and pick-up of students at an elementary school in Bermuda Dunes a traffic nightmare.
Anthony Armenta lives just around the corner from James Monroe Elementary School. He said people in his neighborhood are desperate for help with the gridlock traffic that the beginning and end of each school day brings, almost daily blocking some people from accessing their homes.
"The residents here in our neighborhood do not have free access to our properties without getting into some type of verbal dispute with a driver that doesn't want to move and lose his position," Armenta said.
He said the disturbance sometimes impedes delivery or mail trucks from getting down the street, and can prevent trash pick-ups. But he said it's potentially a safety hazard as well, with the street so tightly packed that an emergency vehicle cou;dn't get through if necessary.
"When it comes down to public safety, good luck getting a fire engine, couple of them, down to the end of the street for a rescue, a drowning or what have you," Armenta said.
And he said while most drivers are safe, some disobey traffic rules like running through the stop sign on the residential corner.
In a statement, a Desert Sands Unified spokeswoman said: "We are aware of neighborhood concerns regarding traffic around Monroe Elementary School and are working with our own security force as well as local law enforcement and the principal of the school to resolve the issues."
Armenta responded, "I don't believe they’re working hard enough... I think there's a lot of different avenues they can take but they’re not listening."
With just a few weeks left in the school year, traffic will soon subside for summer. But he said he's already worried about the fall.
"They've created a public nuisance in our neighborhood and it needs to stop, it needs to stop immediately," Armenta said.
News Channel 3 asked the district if the pandemic is playing a role in exacerbating the traffic. They said most likely not, but it could be due to an earlier pick-up time in the hybrid learning model.
DSUSD said its search for solutions remains ongoing.
