Traffic Safety Reminders

School administration has fielded recent calls from neighbors and pedestrians about school parents driving and dropping off students on the closed Safe Street (1st Ave NW between 79th and 78th). Parent drivers are reminded to adhere to our school traffic pattern.

AM DROP-OFF: Access 79th St. from Greenwood Ave. NW. Access to 79th St. is permitted from both northbound and southbound lanes of Greenwood Ave. Pull completely forward in the yellow load/unload zone; look to parking attendant for instruction. Following drop-off continue west to 3rd Ave. NW. Right turns onto the Safe Street, 1st Ave NW, are permitted to access 80th St.

PM PICK-UP: Due to the large number of drivers that arrive early to wait and collect their children, there is delayed access to 79th St. at 3pm. While waiting to access the school load zone on 79th St., drivers and vehicles must safely queue in the northbound turn lane of Greenwood Ave. Vehicles heading southbound on Greenwood Ave. must be mindful of the queue in the northbound turn lane. Southbound drivers are prohibited from cutting in front of a line of vehicles that are waiting in the northbound turn lane. Southbound drivers must continue down Greenwood Ave., turn around, and get in line. Following student pick-off continue west to 3rd Ave NW. Right turns are permitted onto to 1st Ave. NW to access 80th St.

And please recall:

  • Do not leave your vehicle unattended in the yellow zone during peak drop-off and pick-up times.
  • Do not park in the Greenwood Elementary School bus zone on 1st Ave. NW and NW 80th St.
  • Mind the Queue: If the northbound turn lane of Greenwood Ave. is lined with cars waiting to access 79th St., please go to the back of the northbound car line. It is a traffic hazard to wait in the southbound bike/bus lane of Greenwood Ave. If a grandparent, friend, or au pair is collecting your child and unfamiliar with pick-up protocol, please share these safety reminders.
  • Obey traffic laws
    • Leave sufficient space between the corners/crosswalks/stop signs and your car. Parking too close to corners, crosswalks, and stop signs blocks the vision of drivers, limiting their ability to see students crossing. It is also illegal to park within 30 feet of a stop sign. Too many parents are parking in “no parking” areas on the corner of 79th and 1st Ave NW and creating traffic congestion, driver confusion, and unsafe streets.
    • Observe the speed limit.
    • Make sure you are parked legally–avoid parking in the red zone near the flagpole, never block crosswalks, and do not use the Handicap Parking zone on 80th St. unless you have a Disabled Parking Permit.