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Officials Commit To Improving Big Highway 95A, Jim Allen Elementary Car Rider Line Problem
August 25, 2022
There’s a really big traffic problem on Highway 95A at Jim Allen Elementary School around drop-off and dismissal times, and officials committed Wednesday to start discussions on how to make the situation better.
During car rider times, vehicles line the side of the roadway waiting to turn into the school, and vehicles travel on the shoulder to get around a backed up turn lane.
Wednesday, even a school bus became stuck off the road in the mud. Other photos submitted by readers show dump trucks stuck in the mud, long lines of traffic, drivers on the shoulder and vehicles traveling into oncoming traffic.
“The county has offered to pave some areas for the traffic to be able to pull to get out of the road while they are dealing with the children” Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said last week at a town hall meeting in Walnut Hill. “That’s not what the school thought was the best idea.”
Barry said that previous leadership was not interested in new lanes but with a new principal in place, he’s hopeful the county can work toward solving the problem.
“If doing some work to allow traffic to get out of the way of 95A will help, then we can certainly do that,” he said.
Numerous parents, community members and other Highway 95A drivers have reached out to NorthEscambia.com for help, including Brianne Freund, local resident and a Jim Allen parent who said her vehicle was nearly hit while she waited to turn onto Eden Lane.
“The biggest concern is the afternoon traffic. It is an absolute nightmare,” she said. “Understand that something has to be done about this sooner rather than later. There is a major safety issue with this line in the afternoons.”
“If travelers decide to go around the line, they run the risk of being ticketed, getting stuck in wet earth, damaging property, or causing accidents,” Freund added.
Wednesday afternoon, NorthEscambia.com reached back out to Barry, and we contacted Bill Slayton, District 5 Escambia County School Board member.
“The school board doesn’t have the money or the ability to widen the road,” Slayton said, adding that he would seek a meeting with Barry after our discussion.
“I’m very familiar with the car rider line; it’s gotten longer and bigger each year,” Slayton said. “Highway 95A was never built for an elementary school that large or a car rider line with that many people. It’s a school of 600. and more and more parents are deciding that they wan to pick up their kids or drive their kids to school.”
Barry told us he is more than open to meeting with Slayton and school officials in the search for the best solution as soon as practical.
“Whatever we need to do there, we will make it happen,” Barry said.
The Escambia County Commission recently approved $2.12 million for the milling and resurfacing of Highway 95A from the northern intersection with Highway 29 in Molino (just north of Highway 97), over nine miles to the southern intersection with Highway 29 near Morris Avenue. That project does not include any improvements other than resurfacing near Jim Allen Elementary. Barry said that the county may be able to make improvements near the school independently or as an addition to the overall resurfacing project.
As for that school bus that became stuck off-road in the mud, Slayton said it was a substitute driver that should have made a better decision. He said the bus became stuck in a muddy rut created earlier by a dump truck that also became stuck in the same location.
Have photos of the Jim Allen Elementary car rider line to share? Email news@northescambia.com.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
41 Responses to “Officials Commit To Improving Big Highway 95A, Jim Allen Elementary Car Rider Line Problem”
The car rider line people are the ones who should get out of the way of traffic. It’s considered a traffic infraction (ticket can be given) to just stop your car in the road and impede traffic. The problem is that everyone’s “entitled” to just drive however they want (no lights in fog or rain, hazards on in rain, no headlights at night, not adjusting your headlights when you pull a ghost trailer with your monster truck, etc).
I’ve lived on Eden Lane for almost 50 years and it’s always been a problem but within the past few years it’s gotten way worse. With several subdivisions being built between Jim Allen and Quintet road it’s only going to get worse!! Please fix this problem!!
The issue is mostly parents trying to be “first”. Lining up well above pickup time. Sheriff’s station should patrol and ticket anyone lining up more than 5 min before pickup time. This would curb a great deal of the issues of the lining up. Because as others said if you wait once they are released the lines move quickly. The issue is everyone “waiting” way too early and blocking traffic. Stay home and wait.
There are plenty of areas parents needing to wait or stage themselves such as Porky’s, Grocery Advantage, the Church etc all right there nearby. Park out of the way of traffic, wait and then go once the line will be steadily moving.
Imagine if you will, a time when all children except walkers road the bus to school. Then you only had teacher and staff vehicles.
Much of the reason I don’t want my kids on the buses is due to their speeding & rolling through stop signs. Mr. Reynolds: if you’ll post these events, I’ll start recording them and send it to NE. Mr. Slayton: it doesn’t matter that it was a substitute driver that got stuck in the mud. Are you saying that you have “incompetent” drivers. Yes. I see it daily.
It’s time to file complaints with FDOT about the unsafe road conditions this issue creates IMO.
At this point the school should designate a drop-off point for students at a publicly owned lot away from traffic – and then bus the children to school from that out-lot. If they do that and forbid drop off at the school itself — that will be the fastest temporary fix until a better solution is found.
I was just on 95a, not aware of this article, and was told about it when I called the road department because my car was stopped waiting to get to the turn at Eden Lane from HWY95a, on 295a. As I was stopped, I watched two pickup trucks go off road and slip in the mud almost hitting a telephone pole…
We need a state law forbidding any new school zones. Schools should be built with sufficient parking and pickup areas on the school properties. It should not be up to the schools if these road problems are addressed or not.
Not unusual. Long pick-up lines obstructing traffic are at every school in this area. Not smart driving down Dogtrack Road when Blue Angels Elementary School dismisses pupils. Of course it creates more chaos when School is located on a Main artery.. Santa Rosa County is building a new High School on Hwy 98 in Navarre. Cars go 70 or 80 miles/hr. at that location.
Brandy (Jim Allen Sec) You didn’t clear anything up, all you said was,. “We’re aware of the problem, we’re doing the best we can”. This is NOT a fast food order, that response is unacceptable,
I know I’m late to the party but just wanted to say that we all know that when they start the pickup line moving that line moves very quickly. My neighbor will wait and leave home 10 minutes after dismissal, we live about 3 miles away, by the time she gets there there’s no line in the road and she can just pull through and pick hers up and go. I can’t make it make sense in my head why someone would start lining up at 12:30 for a 2:00 pm release. Seems to me if more people would be this smart ……,…..
In the photo I see a school bus on the outside of the road !!! If the bus doesn’t have any trouble the driver has no reason for being there !!! Go ahead and fire that one now!!!!!
First off, thank you bus drivers that do take care of those babies the best you can every day! And the kids that do ride the bus there are reasons that they have to ride the bus and that is ok too!
To everyone saying “apparently car rider kids are too ‘good’ to ride the bus” I ask you to take an afternoon and be a bus driver sub and see how absolutely CHAOTIC it is on those busses! Elementary – High School! Just imagine 75 Elementary kids pre-k – 5th with all different personalities and mentality levels and 1 adult who is doing their best to focus on the road and the next bus stop. It is absolutely not possible to know what goes on or is said in every bus seat! I personally know some things that have happened on the bus that should have warranted in suspension or possibly expulsion that has been seen by multiple kids, but the video footage on the bus wasn’t great and they couldn’t prove 100% what happened. So those kids just had to keep enduring every day what was happening on the bus, because there wasn’t any ’solid proof’. I rode the bus and hated it as a kid, but it was necessary so I did it. I for one do pick up my kid and drop him off every day because I’m a stay to home mom, it’s my job. Not because i think he’s ‘too good’ to ride the bus. Its whats best for our family, but everyones situation is different. But an even BETTER reason NOT to let your kid wait forever on the bus or walk because… TODAYS SOCIETY IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!! Apparently everyone saying ‘oh my kid rode the bus and was fine 20 years ago’ hasn’t read the news or done a SEX OFFENDER search in their area lately! Times are VERY different now than they were 20 yrs ago, and it’s sad. But unless you have a kid that either rides the bus or is a car rider, or live in very close proximity to this particular issue.. sit down, be quiet, and find another way arround.
Many kids don’t ride the bus because parents have to get to work and don’t want to leave their kids to get to the bus, or wait for a bus that could be delayed or never arrive. It doesn’t help that there’s a shortage of drivers which means many kids are getting home later. I’d be concerned to let a teenager wait alone, much less elementary age kids.
put a poncho on and ride the bus, kid.
maybe SALZMAN&BROXSON can help with this road problem??
Hwy 95 A has been woefully neglected for years..and with the addition of new subdivisions being developed this situation is going to get worse…this is what happens when infrastructure is not kept current with growth. Those that have homes located to the right of JIM ALLEN ELEMENTARY are barricaded in 2 times a day..God forbid if a real emergency happens and emergency personnel can’t get in or out…this is a lawsuit in the making.
Everybody keeps saying “Let them ride the bus”, but these people have absolutely no clue what’s going on (looks like they don’t have kids). I let my kids ride the bus, then there was a driver shortage. My kids would have to sit in the hallway and wait for a bus to run a route and come back to get them. I would receive a phone call almost every day saying that the bus was late and not sure when it would deliver my kids. Finally, I decided to just take them myself.
FYI: My child is a freshman at West Florida HS. We’ve been on the waiting list for the bus since February. The bus we would need picks up at Jim Allen in the morning around 7:10am. We have to take our child to school until that position opens up for the bus. We don’t have a choice. The line for West Florida isn’t much better but they do wrap through the parking lot. I’m not understanding why Jim Allen hasn’t utilized the school’s backyard for either the car rider line or the buses and then let the car rider line utilize the horseshoe in two lines for the other.
I understand that riding the bus would be the simplest solution, but lets be real. There can be issues on the buses that the little ones should not have to be involved in and I for one wouldn’t want mine to ride the bus. The bus drivers do the best they can to control the students but they can’t hardly do that and pay attention to the roads. When my kids went to Jim Allen there wasn’t the “Loop” that is there now it was one way in -one way out but we made that work . Maybe we should all just try and be a little more patient or take a different route if not picking up or dropping off a child.
Y’all really are some something else.. like seriously atleast they are gonna try to come up with a way to help a problem.. if they don’t y’all complain if they do y’all complain.. does complaining about everything in escambia county ever get tiring.. I know this traffic I’m not stupid to the problem.. maybe there are reasons behind why kids don’t ride the bus or maybe there are reasons why the parents decide to pick there kids up from school..
There’s no traffic in home schooling.
Let me clear some of this up for most of you….I know for a fact that the former administration has had the transportation department come in the last 2 years to have the situation observed. So the statement about the former administration has nothing to do with the traffic problem. If you would have checked with the department that handles the roads, traffic, buses, etc. you would have known this already. We are very aware of the traffic issues and we try and move the line as fast and safely as possible. As far as the sub drivers, we are thankful for the ones who show up! In regards to this issue, maybe Mr. Barry should have addressed this long before now! Thanks to our parents, neighbors and staff for understanding that we are doing what we can to help resolve this issue. When we had actual ECSO officers, they assisted with morning drop off and afternoon dismissal. Also, the coach does an amazing job directing traffic. Thank you and have a great day!
Here’s a novel idea period since blocking a highway is against the law write all of them a ticket for sitting in the road
simple solution,,,,,,,,,,,,
make the kids ride the bus………
it worked in my day, why can’t
it work today ??????????
Sounds to me Slayton is trying to put the burden on everyone else to fix the problem.
One way to fix it is put your kids on the bus, it’s not like they are on it for hours on in. These kids today are no better than mine and they rode the bus and guess what they are still alive.
Then calling it poor decision making to go around the line, what are we suppose to do? Just sit and wait for them to pick up Little Too Good to ride the bus, (don’t think so) not everyone can go another way. So they have to go around.
One day that big log truck or loaded dump truck is going to coming off 29 and not be able to go around or stop. It’s not if it’s when.
@ DANA I agree
Kids now days need to toughen up, ride the bus , walk a little, get out side.
As for the ones blocking the road the ECSO, FHP, need to write tickets. The road is not a parking lot
It’s sounds like alot of excuses to me why nothing has been done, like the bus driver used a poor decision to go around the traffic as well as the dump truck, these people don’t have time to wait for these people to pick up Little Tommy because he is too good to ride the bus, they have jobs to do. I don’t have kids in school but when I did they rode the bus and guess what they are still alive.
When one of those big log trucks or dump trucks round that corner flying off 29 and can’t stop it’s going to be too late. It’s not if it’s when……
This is a problem at several schools not just Jim Allen. West Florida High on Burgess Rd has the same problem with traffic. During drop off and pick up times traffic is backed up to traffic light on Palafox to west and Circle K on Burgess to east and they block private drive ways also. Parents choose to pick up their children to get them home quicker and for safety reasons. I wouldn’t want my child waiting hours to get home ridding the bus. I don’t blame the parents. Just solve the problem and do it right the first time.
Have your kids ride the bus….quit being a helicopter parent.
What are the capacity limits of Jim School? If the planning board and county commissioners don’t pay attention to the growth in this area, they will be having to build a new school. 232 new homes are approved for the west side Hwy 29 on Neal Road and Pine Top. Traffic will not get any better
I and my family live on EDEN LANE directly across from Jim Allen Elem. It is hard to get in and out at that intersection. God forbid emergency response or law enforcement needs to reach Eden Lane during the two drop off and pick up times! I am exasperated with the county’s lack of preplanning for growth. This condition makes my property value decline. YET, my property taxes INCREASED DOUBLE!!!!
Ride the school bus!!!
Or if folks don’t want their kids to ride the bus then let them pay for a large portion of any cost involved.
@brianh, @DFlowers
Reasons why kids don’t ride bus. 1. County doesn’t have enough busses to transport all the kids. County won’t hire enough + no one willing to work for the minimum pay. 2. More people working from home allows for car riders. Plus, too many pedophiles and sex traffickers for most of us to be comfortable. Look at the 13 people recently arrested in Santa Rosa county. When we were in school, there was a bus stop every couple of houses. Now kids are having to walk long distances to get to and from the bus stop. 3. If a kid is there for school choice out of district, busses aren’t available. I don’t like the lines either but thank your superintendent and school board for incompetent decisions.
“The school board doesn’t have the money or the ability to widen the road,” Slayton said,
This is a clear reason as to why the School Board should have a reserve fund for some L.O.S.T — Local option Sales Tax — funds. Instead, the School board cant wait to spend every nickle they receive as soon as they receive it. Even when the district finds itself with “excess” funds due to revenue being higher than projected, those funds are going to be spent ASAP on someones pet project.
The School Board should be funding the addition of a turning lane into their property and the creation of additional parking to solve this issue. Its not a new issue. It happens at every school in the county.
I’ve been through the car rider line at Jim Allen numerous times. Those teachers and staff do a good job of keeping the kids safe and traffic moving. Especially, the coach who lets the cars know when to go. That guy rocks. He’s the Clint Eastwood of school traffic. Stay on your public officials. They can get it done. Be patient with the school employees. They’re all running the same mouse wheel we are.
Put a flashing light and a sign on 29 north before 95A and one going south on 95A before Neal rd. That lets people know during drop off and pick up times. To take Neal rd to 29. Or if your going south take 29 to Neal rd. Most traffic would gladly take the detour. I live a half mile from Jim Allan. And I know the times to detour around. Bust most people don’t seem to.
Money needed to fix the problem? Perfectly good transportation (school bus), by the county. Parents choose not to have children ride then charge them for not riding. That will help pay for the upgrades. Have prisoners work to offset the cost. Make the car rider lane wrap around the back of the school or where ever on property. .
“Highway 95A was never built for an elementary school that large or a car rider line with that many people.” But there are 2 different subdivisions being added to it, just that I know of currently. 95A has long been forgotten as far as any actual fixes go. A little extra paved on the side for people to park? What about the hundreds of vehicles that drive it every day with the ratty patched holes? What about the hundreds of more people to be added in the coming years with the addition of all these new houses? But sure, put another ratty patch of asphalt on the side of the road so people don’t get stuck in the mud where they had to solve their own problems with this road. That’ll fix everything.
Why do parents have to pick their kids up? The only time my parents got me is if I was sick.
I hope something is done, and soon. I live off of Williams Ditch Road, and I will take Neil rd, to highway 29 if its school drop off or letting out time to avoid that situation. This has been going on for a long long time, and something needs to be done.
It’s been a problem for a long time. Seems like the simplest solution is to have parents encourage their children to ride the bus.
There’ll always be a bottleneck at the front of the school where parents pick up and let off their kids so the planners better plan for long side lanes and the Commissioners not stint on funding to get this right. Take a look at Berryhill Elementary School on Berryhill Road over in Santa Rosa County. They put in a 1000′ lane. If they make the lane too short, it won’t fix the problem.
Please get the planning right.