TRAFFIC STUDY
For
Armstrong Elementary School
In Highland Park, Texas
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of conducting this traffic study and report was to assess existing conditions,
evaluate renovation conditions (with minor roadway and parking improvements), and make
recommendations for improved operation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
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Move the bus loading to the section of Byron Avenue that is closed.
If buses can’t be moved, have them shut off the stop signs and flashing lights during
loading/unloading so cars can keep flowing and not unnecessarily queue.
Consider designating a loading area for parents that have pickups at this school for two
time periods which would allow them to park elsewhere to keep the queue/carpool lane
open for other parents picking up only one child.
A safety patrol could be used to open doors for children un-loading in the morning. This
will cut waiting time in half, and allow vehicles to enter and leave the queue safer and
quicker. Adult supervision will be required. A similar program works very well at
Bradfield Elementary.
Remind children on bikes to not ride bikes along school sidewalks or at crosswalks.
A parking garage location was not determined at this time. There may be room under
the ball fields (soccer and baseball) at the northeast corner of Byron Avenue and Cornell
Avenue.
Consider opening Byron Avenue for a third queue lane should a third queue lane
become necessary.
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary School
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... i
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... i
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................... 1
Area Development .................................................................................................................................. 1
Streets .................................................................................................................................................... 1
Intersections ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Parking .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Parents Drop-off/pick-up program .......................................................................................................... 2
Observations .............................................................................................................................. 5
General Observations ............................................................................................................................. 5
Morning Drop-Off Observations (AM Peak Hour) ................................................................................... 5
Afternoon Pick-Up Observations (PM Peak Hour) ................................................................................. 6
Queue Calculations .................................................................................................................... 7
Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 9
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Site Location ............................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2. Alternative Carpool Lane Option ................................................................................. 8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Minimum Queue Length Calculations ........................................................................... 7
Traffic Study – Armstrong Park Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
ii
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of conducting this traffic study and report was to assess existing conditions,
evaluate renovation conditions (with minor roadway and parking improvements), and make
recommendations for improved operation.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
Provided below is a summary of the existing land uses near the school and descriptions of
existing streets and intersections which encompass the study area.
AREA DEVELOPMENT
The school is predominately surrounded by single family detached housing units.
STREETS
Cornell Avenue is a two-lane, one-way westbound street with a posted speed limit of 20 mph
with a school speed zone with flashing beacons which is signed at 20 mph between the hours of
7:15 AM to 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM.
St. Johns Drive is a two-lane undivided roadway that is one way from Cornell Avenue to Byron
Avenue with curb and gutters that runs from southwest to northeast. There is school zone on St.
Johns Drive which is signed at 20 mph between the times of 7:15 AM to 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM
to 4:00 PM.
Byron Avenue is a two-lane, undivided residential roadway with curb and gutters that runs from
north to south. Byron Avenue is closed at St. Johns Drive with a gate and closed at Cornell
Avenue with cones. There is school zone which is signed at 20 mph between the times of 7:15
AM to 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM. Teacher and volunteer parking is permitted on Byron
adjacent to the school (west curb line).
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
1
INTERSECTIONS
Byron Avenue at St. Johns Drive is un-signalized with an all way stop control. The south side
of the intersection is closed by a gate to reduce vehicle/pedestrian conflicts. There is a school
crossing guard controlling the pedestrian and vehicular conflicts.
Byron Avenue at Cornell Avenue is un-signalized with an all way stop control. The north side
of the intersection is closed with traffic cones to reduce vehicle/pedestrian conflicts. There is
school crossing guard controlling the pedestrian and vehicular conflicts.
Cornell Avenue at St. Johns Drive is un-signalized intersection with stop control only on
Cornell Avenue. There are only single lanes on each approach. There is a crossing guard
present during school hours who helps direction traffic and control pedestrian and vehicular
conflicts.
See Figure 1 for an aerial photograph of the area.
PARKING
Currently the school has approximately ten teacher parking spaces and two ADA parking
spaces.
It is estimated that future parking needs would range from zero new parking spaces to up to 94
parking spaces. These parking spaces cannot be accommodated on the school site. If this
parking were added to the street, 94 parallel parking stalls require over 1,880 feet of curb and
this is not available along the school property with approximately half of that curb space being
used as a carpool lane. Teachers and volunteers do park along the northwest curb lane of St.
Johns Drive and to some extent on Drexel Drive. Although not desirable, this curb parking does
accommodate teachers and volunteers.
PARENTS DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROGRAM
There are existing drop-off and pick-up operations at the school. Those operations are
described below.
General Information
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Crossing guards are present at the following intersections
o St. Johns Drive and Cornell Avenue
o St. Johns Drive and Byron Avenue
o Byron Avenue and Cornell Avenue
Morning Drop-off Operations
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The queue/carpool lane is along the curb next to the building, and flows west on Cornell
Avenue and northeast on St. Johns Drive
Carpoolers are requested to move up to the end of the queue lane for the morning
carpool and NOT cut into the queue/carpool lane.
Parking is along the curb farthest from school, and the middle lane is for traffic flow only.
Cars in the middle lane must yield to cars trying to exit the queue lane.
Students are to be dropped off or picked up from the queue lane on the curb side
(sidewalk side of car) only (never in middle of street)
Students crossing the street must use crosswalks.
Students may not enter the building before 7:30 AM without special permission.
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
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Students may enter the school at three locations at 7:30 AM: the southeast door at
Cornell Avenue and Byron Avenue, the northeast door at St. Johns Drive and Byron
Avenue, and the southwest door at Cornell Avenue and St. Johns Drive.
All school doors are locked at 8:05 AM
There are other written instructions which address the proper method of using the carpool
queue lanes, bicycle racks, and using marked crosswalks.
Afternoon Pick-up Operations
The same carpool entry and exit paths utilized in the morning are utilized in the afternoon. In the
afternoon the students are released at the following times.
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2:30 – Kindergarten
3:00 – 1st Grade and 2nd Grade
3:15 – 3rd Grade and 4th Grade
Next year modifications will be made to the release times. Below is a summary of the planned
release times for the 2015-2016 school year.
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3:00 – Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade
3:15 – 3rd Grade and 4th Grade
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
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HPISD - SCHOOL STUDIES
ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
OBSERVATIONS
In addition to the traffic counts, site observations were conducted during the morning drop-offs
and afternoon pick-up operations. These observations were made on the afternoon of May 5,
2015 and the morning of May 12, 2015. A summary of observation highlights are provided
below.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
In both the morning and afternoon there were many illegal and/or undesired behaviors. Some of
those behaviors included the following:
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Vehicles not moving up in the carpool lane
Students getting or putting items in the vehicle trunks instead of having the items with
them in the car (slowed unloading/loading zone down)
ADA parking (2 spots) on Cornell Avenue approximately 60 feet in length do not readily
allow carpool lane queuing even though many vehicles do use the space.
Buses are only present for a short period in PM. The buses had their stop signs and
flashing lights which prohibited vehicles from driving around them while they were
loading/unloading
Crossing Guards do provide traffic control.
Some parents parked across street and then walked to/from school with children.
There were quite a few children who walked to and from school.
Cars did not move up and left big gaps in the queue lane and these gaps could not be
seen.
There were many parents that parked on Byron Avenue south of Cornell Avenue that
walked children to school in the morning and also parked on Byron Avenue to wait for
children leaving school.
MORNING DROP-OFF OBSERVATIONS (AM PEAK HOUR)
 7-8:30 (Cornell Avenue)
 There is a marked area alongside the curb on Cornell Avenue near its intersection with
Byron Avenue for two (2) Handicapped buses.
 One parent parked in marked bus lane for 15 minutes.
 Byron Street was closed with a gate at St. Johns Drive.
 Parents drop off kids as far east as possible to be order to enter left turn queue because
of difficulty in merging into travel lane.
 Crossing Guards did a great job of keeping traffic moving.
 There were some dads that opened doors of cars and for the school. Could use more
and one to keep cars moving forward subject to ability to merge into queue from
intersection of St Johns and Cornell Avenue.
 Some cars parked across the creek and walked across the bridge
 There were some car parked in queue lane along St. Johns Drive.
 Some cars unloaded their children near the intersection of St. Johns Drive and Byron
Avenue
 There was one car that parked for 15 or minutes in the queue lane on Cornell Avenue.
 Some children were not prepared to leave vehicles.
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
5
AFTERNOON PICK-UP OBSERVATIONS (PM PEAK HOUR)
 Took about 10 minutes for each time period to clear of vehicles.
 No assistance from volunteers along Cornell Avenue
 On Cornell Avenue parents do not pull all the way forward and leave large gaps between
cars.
o This encouraged other parents to pull in front of cars waiting in queue and then to
back into the queue/carpool lane.
o Other vehicles cut into the queue lane.
 Teachers did line up kids but there were no bull horns or placards.
 Some parents took their children to play in the playground at the southwest corner of
Byron Avenue and Cornell Avenue while waiting for other, older children to dismiss.
This was very effective and kept cars from standing in the queue lane for other children.
 Many parents parked after picking up children in kindergarten and waited for older
children (approximately 21 vehicles).
 Some loading of kids in moving lane of traffic on Cornell Avenue.
 Handicapped buses were loading nearest the middle door or where the students were
leaving the building.
 The buses had the emergency flasher going on and this caused all traffic to stop and
wait for the very lengthy loading of a wheel chair.
o Suggest turning stop signs off during this loading period and during the unloading the AM period.
 On St. Johns Drive some cars waiting (standing) in queue lane waiting on other children.
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
6
QUEUE CALCULATIONS
The afternoon pick-up operations create the largest queues around the campus. Utilizing a
queue estimator developed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation estimates were
made about the existing and future queues associated with the enrollment and pick-up times for
Armstrong Elementary. See Table 1 for a summary of those estimates.
There are currently approximately 577 children attending Armstrong Elementary School with
approximately the same number attending in FY 2015-2016. Enrollment projections were used
to determine the approximate maximum queues for each PM period loading of vehicles in the
carpool/queue lanes.
Table 1. Minimum Queue Length Calculations
Number
Calculated
Total
of
Minimum Queue
Vehicles
Students
Length (ft.) *
Current discharge rates (3 periods)
Kindergarten at 2:30
92
16
162
1st and 2nd at 3:00
229
38
384
3rd and 4th at 3:15
245
40
404
Future Discharge (2 periods)
Kindergarten and 1st grade at 3:00
198
33
333
2nd, 3rd, and 4th at 3:15
262
43
434
Grades & Release Times
Existing
Observed Queue
Length (ft)
1000 +
1000 +
1000 +
-
Note: *School Traffic Calculator form North Carolina State University. + The end of the queue extended along Byron and Cornell
Avenue that could not be accurately observed.
Should an third carpool line become necessary in 2015 due to the release of three grades at
one time, a potential concept has be developed. See Figure 2. This concept would require
Byron Avenue opened to traffic and would require students on Byron Avenue to load from the
left-side of the vehicle which is not ideal. However, this concept would create three separate
loading areas, would separate conflicting vehicular movements at the intersections of St. Johns
Drive and Byron Avenue as well as Byron Avenue and Cornell Avenue, and create free
pedestrian movements across the diagonal portions of these intersections. Cross guards would
still be utilized at the intersections as outlined in the report. This concept provides a basis to
build upon should the third carpool in be deemed necessary.
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
7
LEGEND
CARPOOL LINE 1
CARPOOL LINE 2
CARPOOL LINE 3
TRAFFIC CONES
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
HPISD - SCHOOL STUDIES
ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ALTERNATE CARPOOL LINE OPTION
FIGURE 2
RECOMMENDATIONS

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
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Move the bus loading to the section of Byron Avenue that is closed.
If buses can’t be moved, have them shut off the stop signs and flashing lights during
loading/unloading so cars can keep flowing and not unnecessarily queue.
Consider designating a loading area for parents that have pickups at this school for two
time periods which would allow them to park elsewhere to keep the queue/carpool lane
open for other parents picking up only one child.
A safety patrol could be used to open doors for children un-loading in the morning. This
will cut waiting time in half, and allow vehicles to enter and leave the queue safer and
quicker. Adult supervision will be required. A similar program works very well at
Bradfield Elementary.
Remind children on bikes to not ride bikes along school sidewalks or at crosswalks.
A parking garage location was not determined at this time. There may be room under
the ball fields (soccer and baseball) at the northeast corner of Byron Avenue and Cornell
Avenue.
Consider opening Byron Avenue for a third queue lane should a third queue lane
become necessary.
Closing
We have appreciated the opportunity to assist you in the preparation of this traffic study for
Highland Park ISD. Please do not hesitate to contact our office should you have any questions
or comments concerning this report.
APPENDIX
CARPOOL GUIDELINES
Traffic Study – Armstrong Elementary
Binkley & Barfield – C&P, Inc.
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Daily Procedures and Information
Carpool
Queue Lane and Carpool Instructions (ALSO REFER TO DISMISSAL PROCEDURES on PAGE 16)
Student safety is very important to all of us, and it demands the attention of every driver and student.
Please familiarize yourself with the directed flow of traffic around the school and obey all traffic signs.
Please be a courteous and patient driver and communicate with your student prior to pick up where you
plan to be so that you are not using your cell phone in the school zone.
Please follow these queue lane guidelines:
 The queue lane is the lane along the curb next to the building, and flows west on Cornell and
northeast on St. Johns.
 Parking is along the curb farthest from school, and the middle lane is for traffic flow only. Use
the queuing lane, or pull over to a legal curb for your child to exit on the sidewalk side of the car.
Cars in the middle lane must yield to cars trying to exit the queue lane.
 Enter the queue lane behind the last car in line. Do NOT cut into the queue lane.
 Pull forward as far as possible in the queue lane before dropping off or picking up your child. Be
courteous and don’t stop the traffic behind you.
 Drop off and pick up students from the queue lane on the curb side ONLY (never the middle of
the street).
 NO cell phone use in school zone. Comply with posted traffic signs at all times.
 Students crossing the street must ALWAYS use crosswalks.
Queue Lane and Carpool Map
Revised 08/01/2013
7
Walkers and Bicyclists
Students and all pedestrians must obey the crossing guards, cross only at designated intersections and
observe bicycle safety rules. Bicycles must be parked in the racks provided and should have locks. The
school is not responsible for bicycle damage or theft. Scooters, in-line skates, and skateboards, if ridden
to school, may be stored in the lockers.
Safety is reviewed each year at the Bike Rodeo. For the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, bicycles and
scooters should be walked, not ridden, while on the Armstrong campus, during arrival and dismissal.
Scooters, in-line skates, and skateboards may not be ridden inside the school building at any time.
Building Hours
Morning Entry
Students may not enter the building before 7:30am except for scheduled tutorials or scheduled activities
accompanied by a teacher. Parents should be advised that students arriving at school before 7:30am
will be unsupervised outside the building.
Students and families may enter the school at three locations at 7:30am: the southeast door at Cornell
and Byron, the northeast door at St. Johns and Byron, and the southwest door at Cornell and St. Johns.
These doors are monitored by staff beginning at 7:30am to support student and staff safety. All
students must wait quietly and safely at the lobby entrance inside each doorway until 7:50am.
Teachers are on duty in their classrooms beginning at 7:50am, when students may enter the classroom.
Morning announcements begin at 8:00am. All students are expected to be in their seats at that time or
they will be counted as tardy.
Parents and other visitors who accompany their students to the classroom are asked to depart by
8:05am to minimize distraction to the academic environment. All school doors will be locked at 8:05am
and remain locked during the school day. Access is permitted through the front door on Cornell Avenue
only. Student and staff safety and security is a top priority. All visitors are required to present
identification and sign in at the front office and wear a visitor badge at all times while on campus.