NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Changes are coming to Centerville Road near Roberts Elementary and Montford Middle Schools over the next few weeks to ease traffic backups and address student safety concerns raised by nearby neighbors.
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According to information shared by Commissioner Brian Welch, the Leon County Sheriff's Office will patrol the school zone daily through Oct. 23 from 2:30-4 p.m.
After that, deputies will patrol during pickup twice a week.
Signage is coming to along Centerville Road near Pimlico and Donnybrook Place telling drivers not to pass or stop in the street.
Both principals will remind parents of pickup times and ask them not to arrive early, and school staff will work to keep the on-campus pickup lines moving.
The Leon County School Board is looking into building a two-lane driveway to move the pickup line onto school property.
The county's public works team is also conducting a study to determine whether a turn lane can be built.
These changes come after a joint meeting between Leon County Schools staff, Leon County Public Works, Welch and the Leon County Sheriff's Office.
The issue has been a source of complaints from parents for years. I reported on these problems in September 2025 and in August this year.
In a Facebook post, Welch attributes the backup to parents arriving too early.
"This is unquestionably caused by parents entering the car pickup lines far too early, causing traffic to back up onto Centerville Road and into the surrounding neighborhoods," Welch said. "This creates a very dangerous situation where emergency vehicles cannot get access to the area and drivers have begun to enter oncoming traffic as a way to get around the jam.”
Leon County's analysis for a possible turn lane is expected to be complete before Thanksgiving, while Welch says LCS should have an update on its driveway sometime this week.
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