Directing Traffic to Increase Passenger Drop-Off Capacity: Case Study at an Urban School

Many schools have a designated student drop-off area for private vehicles, but the capacity rarely meets demand during peak drop-off times. To determine whether drop-off capacity could be effectively increased when school personnel direct traffic flow, a case study was performed at an urban elementary school. Total drop-off time per vehicle consisted of both the stopping time of the vehicle (the time it stopped for unloading) and the maneuvering-idle time. Mean stopping time was measured and calculated for representative samples during peak drop-off time in the morning. Stopping times ranged from 2 to 55 s. When the school principal was present and directed traffic, mean stopping time was reduced from 26.5 to 19.7 s. This reduction was statistically significant with p <.025. The mean maneuvering-idle time during the period of peak drop-off was estimated to be 33.3 s; with the principal guiding traffic, it was reduced to 28.1 s. Taken together, the mean drop-off time (stopping time plus maneuvering time) was estimated at 59.8 s without human guidance and 47.8 s with human guidance of traffic flow. This difference predicts an increase in drop-off capacity of 21.7% during the peak drop-off period. Dispatching school personnel to guide traffic flow during peak times can provide an efficient and cost-effective means to increase drop-off capacity at schools that do not have the space or cannot afford the capital expense to make major structural improvements to school access roads.