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The School Zone

Ideally, the school zone starts at the front door and encompasses the campus and as many blocks as possible that surround the school and have a high concentration of school-generated traffic. Often the school zone includes the streets along the school and usually the area one to two blocks around it. The school zone should be marked with special signing to alert motorists of the high concentration of children. School crossing signs, speed signs, school zone pavement markings and other traffic calming devices remind motorists to treat the area with special care and attention.

The 2003 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD), Part 7 sets forth principles and standards for controlling traffic in school areas. These principles and standards provide information on appropriate design, application, and maintenance of all traffic control devices (including signs, signals, and markings) and other controls (including adult school crossing guards, student patrols, and grade-separated crossings) required for the special pedestrian conditions in school areas.[1]

Guidelines for making schools accessible to children with disabilities can be found in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and the Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). ADAAG applies to school site itself whereas PROWAG addresses the route to school. The Department of Justice established the 1991 ADAAG as a standard, which means that compliance is required for all newly constructed or altered school facilities.

Properly designed and applied traffic calming devices encourage good motorist and pedestrian behavior in the school zone. Traffic calming measures such as high visibility crosswalks, street narrowing and signage can be in place all the time. Since school zones are locations frequented by children, making the area safe and accessible for children anytime of day is a sound investment for the community.

Properly designed and applied accessibility improvements, such as curb ramps, accessible pedestrian signals, and accessible sidewalks and pathways are also sound community investments. They benefit not only children with disabilities but also parents with strollers, senior citizens, and others with permanent or temporary mobility impairments.

Methods to address bicyclist and pedestrian safety and accessibility within the school zone will be discussed in this section. The methods include;