Kingston Traffic Concerns Prompt Parents to Call for Action

Amid flaring tempers and a handful of accidents outside the school, a group of Kingston Elementary School parents called on township officials to try to solve what they said is a problem-turned-crisis in traffic flow around the school.

An unspoken agreement to treat Kingston Road as a one-way street during pick-up and drop-off hours has fallen apart, parents said, leading to dangerous traffic during peak times.

Katherine Laskowski, who served as the unofficial spokesperson for about 10 parents who came out to the council meeting, noted police have been called out to the school every Friday in January and three of the last four school days.

“It’s just been basically a huge mess,” she said.

The parents brought plenty of ammunition with them, in the form of binders stuffed with information—old PTA letters noting the street was a one-way at one point, proposed ordinances that could rectify the situation and a 150-signature petition urging action.

“We need to get this under control before something major happens,” Laskowski said.

While township officials were sympathetic, they said there wouldn’t be an immediate solution—while an engineering study is slated for the area, and Mayor Chuck Cahn said school and township officials will meet with police and community members to discuss the situation, they cautioned it could be a difficult task to get a resolution.

“It’s not something easily solved,” Cahn said.

Just determining whether a one-way street is feasible—something the engineering study should accomplish—is a major hurdle, Cahn said.

“We don’t even know if that’s possible,” he said.

Still, both township officials and the gathered parents were hopeful a long-term solution could be found, and Cahn and council members said they’ll work to find the best course of action.

Similar concerns have been addressed at other schools in the township, including at Bret Harte and Clara Barton.

It’s not clear exactly how long it could take to weigh any changes at Kingston—the engineering study could take several weeks, officials said, and action beyond that could take some time.

“We’ll move as fast as we can,” township spokeswoman Bridget Palmer said.