Perils of student drop-offs and pick-ups at Burroughs
If you live on McCadden Place near John Burroughs Middle School, or if you are routed by your car navigation to drive by the school to reach your pre-determined destination, you’re headed to the unsafe possibilities that can occur every weekday from wrong-way drivers, students crossing in front of wrong-way traffic or family members talking to students on their cell phones while standing in the middle of the street. Some parents and friends also get out of their cars to talk with friends.
The routes available for families and friends driving students to school in Los Angeles can lead motorists onto side streets and along treacherous stretches. Drivers may find residential streets leading to schools are blocked by big school buses plus rushing cars darting in and out of winding car lines. In most cases, the routes for public transportation do not get students to school.
Therefore, getting students to and from Burroughs every day means loading them into the car in the morning for drop-off and fighting for a space in the school car line and / or battling the afternoon rush to pick up the students to return home again.
One of the neighbors who lives near the school (and who asked to not be identified) has documented wrong-way buses, delivery vehicles and family vehicles blocking parking lanes and driving lanes, obstructing driveways, and creating dangerous traffic situations forcing traffic to a standstill at times while students arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon.
The neighbor describes school buses heading in the wrong lane to drive around double-parked cars, residential cars and delivery vehicles forced to drive in the wrong-way lane just to pass the parked cars, and double-parked cars in front of the school waiting for students to get dropped off or picked up. Driveways are blocked, traffic lanes are undriveable and, as a result, residents must schedule their movements around the school’s car line perils.
You can find parents arriving 30 minutes to an hour early just to get the precious first-in-line spots. Are buses an alternative? There are parents who avoid Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) buses for their children because of reports of bullying and other fears for student safety.
Burroughs is expanding its campus to accommodate over 1,700 students. That is more than twice the school population the school and surrounding areas were built for. The expansion is planned for completion in 2026 and will include bus pick-up and drop-off accommodations from a Wilshire Boulevard entrance.
When I contacted principal Dr. Steven Martinez, he responded quickly to say he was unfamiliar with the situation and would look into it. He said that he referred the question about the dangerous car lines to his media department, which has not contacted me.
It seems the school has guidelines for student pick-up and drop-off with no consequences in place for those who do not follow the rules. It seems the school takes no responsibility for the traffic congestion, accidents, blocked driveways and unsafe practices that seem to be ongoing, reported the complaining neighbor.
I personally had to drive into the wrong lane just to turn the corner from Wilshire onto McCadden Place to drive north. It is scary, to say the least. Apparently, traffic disruptions caused by parents picking up or dropping off students is not just a problem at John Burroughs Middle School; it is a national problem with serious consequences.
By Steven Rosenthal
Category: News