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74 <br /> Behavioral Components of Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic Patterns <br /> There are approximately 8 students walking to school. On-site observations noted several <br /> elementary school pedestrians walking from the Stroud's Creek neighborhood adjacent to the <br /> school. Field staff noted the following travel norms for Pathways Elementary: <br /> ♦ Motorist behavior was observed as fair to good.Traffic appears to go faster than <br /> the posted speed limit of 25mph along Strouds Creek Road, but drivers are <br /> respectful overall. <br /> ♦ There are separate drop-off and pick-up zones for the Pre-K and K-5 grades. <br /> ♦ There were no backups of traffic during the morning drop off.Traffic for the K-5 <br /> pick up does backup onto Strouds Creek Road past Village Grove Court. <br /> ♦ Cars and buses were observed passing in the left lane to get into the school <br /> entrance. A few cars traveling to Tumbling Brook Lane also had to pass on the <br /> left. <br /> ♦ Parents were observed walking from the neighborhood to pick up students.A <br /> few students were observed walking home alone,which is not allowed according <br /> to school staff. <br /> ♦ Safety concerns include vehicles passing in the left lane while vehicles are exiting <br /> the school at the same time and cars turning left out of Tumbling Brook Lane <br /> having limited sight distance due to the line of cars. <br /> ♦ Other safety concerns include no crosswalks across the Pre-K car entrance where <br /> students were observed crossing. <br /> Existing Infrastructure - Strengths <br /> Pathways Elementary's location on a dead-end road makes it a viable location for <br /> walking and biking to school from nearby residences. The following observations <br /> were noted as existing system strengths: <br /> + Clear school zone signage and pavement markings are found along Strouds <br /> Creek Road and NC 57. <br /> + There are on-campus sidewalks along the building front, adjacent to the carpool <br /> drop-off line. <br /> + There is a sidewalk connection from Village Grove Court to the first school <br /> driveway entrance. <br /> + There is no through traffic on Strouds Creek Road and Tumbling Brook Lane is a <br /> gated community with no through traffic. <br /> Existing Infrastructure - Deficiencies <br /> There are multiple issues related to infrastructure deficiency and traffic issues that <br /> warrant improvement, create safety hazards, and prevent children from walking <br /> and cycling to school safely. Key weaknesses, barriers, and obstacles include the <br /> following: <br /> — Traffic is significant along the primary route to school NC 57. <br /> — There are no crosswalks or curb ramps located on adjacent roadways. <br /> — There is no on campus sidewalk connecting from Strouds Creek Road to the school. <br /> — There are no pedestrian or bicycle facilities found on adjacent roadways.Table <br /> 2.13 summarizes key locations where insufficient infrastructure creates barriers to <br /> pedestrians and bicyclists. <br /> Safe Routes to School <br /> Orange County,North Carolina 72 <br />