Transportation Patterns Change with the Opening of New Schools
June 30, 2008 - Drivers should be prepared for changing transportation patterns caused by the opening of new schools and the return of school buses to the roadways transporting students to 49 year-round elementary and middle schools with the new year beginning July 7.There will be three new year-round schools opening July 7 including Laurel Park Elementary, Mills Park Elementary and Sycamore Creek Elementary. The arrival of school staff, hundreds of parents transporting children and school buses running new routes to school will have an impact on traffic near the schools.
Laurel Park Elementary is located at 2450 Laura Duncan Road in Apex,. Mills Park Elementary is located at 509 Mills Park Drive in Cary. Sycamore Creek Elementary will start the school year at Hilburn Drive Elementary at 7100 Hilburn Drive in Raleigh. Then the school will move into its new facilities in August at 10921 Leesville Road in Raleigh.
By the end of August when all schools are in session, Wake County Public School System drivers will be behind the wheels of more than 875 buses transporting approximately 68,500 students safely each day.
The Wake County Public School System provides bus transportation to all base students in the system who live one-and-a-half miles or more from school and to students with identified special needs. The system's transportation department is committed to providing these students with safe, efficient and reliable transportation service that contributes to their overall academic success.
The start of the school year is a challenging time for the WCPSS Transportation Department. Transportation planners created routes for the new year by looking at the students who were transported the prior year and obtaining new information from WCPSS Growth Management of students enrolled for this school year.
The Transportation Department creates new routes based on their expectation of student ridership.
The first week of school, parents and students are making decisions about the best use of buses to get to and from school. As families make decisions about their use of buses, the Transportation Department adapts routes to meet the riders' needs. As families finalize decisions about their use of bus service, bus routes are finalized. This process generally takes about two weeks.
-wcpss-