School Drop-Off Traffic Is Causing a Congestion — and Social — Crisis

With more parents than ever before driving their children to school, school drop-offs are becoming a growing pain point for traffic in cities around the country, writes Kendra  Hurley in The Atlantic.

The problem is multi-faceted: “For families, the long waits are at best a stressful time suck and at worst a work disruptor. Some city planners take the car line as proof of our failure to create the kind of people-centered neighborhoods families thrive in. Climate scientists might consider it a nitrogen-oxide-drenched environmental disaster. Scolds might rail at what they see as helicopter parents chaperoning their kids everywhere. Some pediatricians might point out the health threats: sedentary children breathing fumes or at risk of being hit by a car.”

For Hurley, another important aspect of the ever-growing school drop-off line is the attendant isolation. “With so many kids now attending schools more than a mile from their home, even the most beautiful, pedestrian-friendly streets may not be enough to lure passengers to the sidewalk. A leisurely stroll to a neighborhood school has been supplanted by the smelly, alienating car line.”

Hurley acknowledges that walking, biking, or public transit are not readily available modes for many American students. “But governments, schools, and communities can create new programs to fill the transportation gap” by proactively arranging walking and biking groups and urging local officials to add better bike and pedestrian infrastructure to their streets. “For families that must drive, the humble carpool can offer the same convenience and safety from crime as driving on your own, while also building camaraderie and minimizing emissions.”