TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Residents living next to Donnybrook Place in the Killearn Estates neighborhood are becoming concerned about student and driver safety as parents park along the shoulder of the road.
- Residents say they’ve had near-collisions with cars and even kids walking trying to avoid cars parked on the side of the road.
- They say it’s been an ongoing issue for years as parents park on Donnybrook Place to avoid traffic on Centerville Road.
- Watch the video to hear how local officials are responding and possible solutions.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Donnybrook Place in Killearn Estates is pretty quiet around morning.
But once it hits 2:45 p.m., it’s chaos.
“Parents will come and block the roadway for about 30 minutes on each time frame. They're blocking the entrance to our neighborhood,” Chad Teems said.
They’re waiting to pick up students at Montford Middle School and Roberts Elementary School.
But the kids’ safety is what’s worrying this group of concerned neighbors, Stan Arline and Chad Teems.
“Kids that are walking and riding bikes, weaving in and out of cars, and you can't see them,” Teems said.
“We’ve tried to address it with the school itself, the county commissioners, police department, sheriff's office,” Arline said.
ABC 27 has also reached out.
A representative from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve worked with the school in the past to control traffic, and Leon County Schools says: “We will look into it.”
Centerville Road seems to be at the center of the matter.
Stan says it can back up for miles.
ABC 27 told you about it in 2023 and how Blueprint’s Northeast Gateway project could be a solution.
It could create another access point to the schools.
“Welaunee Boulevard is designed in a way that will help relieve some of that traffic congestion by allowing folks to enter on Centerville Road and exit around the back of the school,” Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch told us in 2023.
Its completion date is mid-2027.
But Stan and Chad says something needs to be done soon.
“The real issue is these little kids. I mean, some of them are little kids. Six, seven years old, and what do they know about traffic?
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office says they will do an assessment of the area on Tuesday to determine if any further action is needed from their agency.
District 1 Leon County School Board Member Alva Swafford-Smith says the board is working to address traffic on Centerville Road.
She plans to meet with both school’s principals to discuss solutions like adding a temporary gravel road around one of its athletic fields.
A representative at the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) is working to add the item to its agenda, according to Swafford-Smith, but she is hoping for a long-term solution like working with Blueprint to construct another road to the school from its Northeast Park project.
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