The Township of Maplewood has announced additional safety precautions for children walking to and from school in light of the discontinuation of courtesy busing. This follows on an announcement from South Orange in August announcing increased traffic patrols. From the Township of Maplewood:
Maplewood Implements Back-to-School Pedestrian Safety Measures
Post Date: 09/06/2022 9:55 PM: In response to the discontinuation of courtesy bussing for students within a two-mile walking distance of SOMA Schools, the Township of Maplewood has taken additional precautions to ensure elementary students walking to and from schools in high-traffic areas may do so safely. In addition to pre-existing safety measures, the Township has implemented the following surrounding Seth Boyden and Delia Bolden Elementary Schools:
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- Increased barriers and signage, such as in-street pedestrian crossing signs, in the surrounding areas;
- Restriping of Tuscan Street and Boyden Avenue to prioritize pedestrian safety, completed prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year; and
- Designated student drop-off zones near school entrances, as indicated by County light-up message boards and Township signage.
In addition to the above measures, the Township has increased enforcement of property maintenance codes for individuals with shrubbery blocking visibility along pedestrian routes to school and will be strongly enforcing parking regulations to address obstructions to sidewalk access and the flow of pedestrian traffic.
Further, the Township will be designating Harding and Brown Streets as one-way roads from 8:30am-9:30am and 2:30pm-3:30pm to accommodate an anticipated increase in drop-off traffic for Seth Boyden School. Residents on impacted streets have been advised of this change. During these times, Henry Place will be closed to all through traffic and open to Henry Place residents only.
Thank you all for your patience and cooperation as we work to ensure safe routes to school for our students. If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact the Township Engineering Department.
