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9 <br /> Behavioral Components of Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic Patterns <br /> There are no AL Stanback students walking or bicycling to school. On-site observations noted no <br /> elementary school pedestrians or cyclists walking in the vicinity of the school. Field staff noted the <br /> following travel norms for AL Stanback: <br /> ♦ Motorist behavior was observed as good. Drivers are generally respectful of other <br /> cars and follow the rules. <br /> ♦ The car rider drop off and pick up occurs at the entrance along Benton Drive.The <br /> car line queues along Benton Drive, but it was not observed backing up to NC 86. <br /> ♦ Staff indicated that the carpool line backs onto NC 86 sometimes, especially in <br /> the beginning of the school year before after-school sports start. <br /> ♦ Exiting traffic was a little backed up on BentWon Drive, but not substantial. <br /> ♦ The left-turn lane on NC 86 can back up at times. <br /> ♦ The morning drop-off line queues along the westernmost driveway and down <br /> Benton Road.The afternoon pick-up car line queues around the easternmost <br /> driveway near the sports fields to prevent significant backups. <br /> ♦ Traffic was slightly backed up on Benton Drive in the afternoon by a few vehicles, <br /> but not significant. <br /> ♦ Crossing guards were not present. However, staff indicated a sheriff sometimes <br /> directs traffic at the intersection of Benton Drive and NC 86. <br /> ♦ The shoulder on NC 86 is narrow and the terrain is difficult for walking. <br /> Existing Infrastructure - Strengths <br /> Few strengths were noted due to the lack of pedestrian and bicycle facilities.The following <br /> observations were noted as existing system strengths: <br /> + There are on-campus sidewalks along the building front, adjacent to the carpool <br /> drop-off line. <br /> + Due to its location in a very sparse residential neighborhood,there is no through <br /> traffic along Benton Drive and the car queues do not cause significant traffic <br /> issues or concerns. <br /> Existing Infrastructure - Deficiencies <br /> There are multiple issues related to infrastructure deficiency and traffic issues that warrant <br /> improvement, create safety hazards, and prevent children from walking and cycling to <br /> school safely. Key weaknesses, barriers, and obstacles include the following: <br /> — There is no clear pedestrian crossing signage on any of the roads surrounding the <br /> school. <br /> — There are multiple two-lane, rural roadways that pose safety barriers for school-age <br /> cyclists and pedestrians. <br /> — Traffic is significant, especially during school start and end times, along the primary <br /> route to school, NC 86. <br /> — There are no pedestrian or bicycle facilities found on adjacent roadways.Table <br /> 2.1 summarizes key locations where insufficient infrastructure creates barriers to <br /> pedestrians and bicyclists. <br /> Safe Routes to School <br /> Orange County,North Carolina 7 <br />