INDIAN LAND, S.C. — The Lancaster County School District is making changes to help alleviate traffic woes outside of some Indian Land Schools.
The district announced starting Wednesday, students at Indian Land Elementary can be dropped off as early as 6:30 a.m. and students at Indian Land Intermediate can be dropped off as early as 7:15 a.m.
"We hope this added time will assist parents and shave the long lines at these schools in the morning," said transportation director Bryan Vaughn, "Please take advantage of this extra time by getting to the school a little earlier."
On Monday, some parents reported that students got home as late as 6 or 7 p.m.
"It's clustered off of 521," said Brittney Moss, who was in the pick-up line on Tuesday.
"I live right across the street," said Shatarra Carter, "And yesterday it took me an hour to get [to school]."
Some parents said they had to drive their kids to school because the bus never came to pick them up. Others said they really didn't think the situation could get any worse.
The district acknowledged those concerns on Facebook, explaining that it was trying out a new traffic pattern. The transportation and safety director asked parents for patience while they get the new traffic patterns sorted out.
"I know it's frustrating for parents," said Transportation Director Bryan Vaughn. "And you know, it was frustrating for us to watch, it was frustrating for bus drivers and for school officials. We've been looking at it again, and we're going to make some changes as necessary."
Vaughn said the district is trying to make changes, but the underlying issue is the rapid growth in Indian Land and infrastructure not designed to keep up.
"It was really important for us to get a pattern that took the cars off of 521 because 521 is the lifeblood of Lancaster County," said Vaughan, "I think long term we’re going have to look at widening 521. We actually need some roads that run parallel with 521.”
Other parents agreed.
"Day one is always going to have hiccups," said Christina Gratrix, "My concern is that we have too many people in one place and we don’t have the infrastructure in place to support it.”
In the meantime, parents should keep a few things in mind:
- Get an early start to give yourself more time
- Buses still may not be right on time, so be patient
Even if you don't have kids, make sure you're watching your speed in school zones and around bus stops.
Contact Ruby Durham at rdurham@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
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