CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A viewer sent video Channel 9 of the drop off and pick up line outside Central High School in Chesterfield County. The line is so long that cars are forced to park in the road while waiting to pick kids up from school.
That viewer, Derrick Williams, told Channel 9′s Tina Terry he’s concerned about safety.
“The traffic starts building up at the high school and backs up onto Airport Road,” he said.
In order to pick up his daughter from the school, Williams said he has to wait in a long line almost every school day.
In the video he sent to Channel 9, you can see cars parked on Airport Road. Some frustrated drivers veer into the opposite lane of traffic, trying to get around the pick up line.
“I feel like it’s a dangerous situation because we have sand trucks traveling this road, as well as semis,” Williams said.
Terry went to the school Tuesday during pick up time and the line was not as long as it was in Williams’ video. However, she asked Chesterfield County school leaders if they’re aware of the problem.
A spokesman sent a statement saying in part “logistically it is a challenge because the school largely sits along one two-lane state owned road; however, there is nothing that the district can do about that situation.”
The district also said the traffic patterns at the high school are based on studies done by both current and past school administrators and they’ve been in place for a number of years.
But Williams said a change is needed to prevent a serious collision.
“Someone is going to have to take the shoulder of the road,” he said.
Williams suggested releasing the ninth and 10th graders at the gym, which is located on campus behind the school. But district leaders said allowing cars to drive around and onto the campus for pick up would prevent them from keeping the students and campus secure.
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