Parents: Time for drivers to do their homework on school zone laws

Jody Pagliocco has seen some close calls this school year, and the year is barely even a month old.

The Maricopa Meadows resident says too many drivers are not obeying the traffic laws when driving through area school zones. The closest school to her is Maricopa Elementary on N. Alterra Pkwy.

When asked how many times in the new school year she has noticed people driving erratically in the school zone, Pagliocco said often.

“I can tell you honestly it is on a daily basis, and not just one person here and there,” Pagliocco said. “I drive my children to school even though we are close by and also travel Bowlin a few times a day. The scariest, of course, is just before and after school when the children are out.”

Pagliocco said she’s witnessed drivers speeding, passing in a no-passing zone, driving in the middle lane to pass the people who are actually trying to go the speed limit and some drivers going across the crosswalk in the morning and afternoons when people and the crossing guard are in the crosswalk.

Pagliocco said she contacted the Maricopa Police Department to note her concerns.

“I was told that they are working on having someone out there as much as possible,” Pagliocco said.

“Concerning traffic, we are addressing traffic issues and have plans of increasing our traffic unit as we get closer to going online with second and third shifts,” Police Chief Patrick Melvin said. “I would, however, like to remind the citizens of Maricopa that the traffic hotline (520-316-6919) is an excellent outlet to guide the police department in enforcing traffic in the areas where the community feels that we should enforce. They can leave exact locations and problem areas so that their police department can address those challenges.”

Lisa Marquez lives in the Desert Springs portion of Maricopa Meadows. She drives her son to Maricopa High School and her daughter to the Maricopa Middle School on a weekly basis.

“I drop off my son at the high school and my daughter at the middle school, and then go all the way around south to Bowlin (in front of Maricopa Elementary School) because the light at Honeycutt is still not working, and it is too dangerous to turn left onto John Wayne Parkway from Honeycutt,” Marquez said. “Because I drive through three different school zones, I see a lot of people driving recklessly nearly every day. One person in a school zone passed me on the right on Bowlin. Bowlin is not marked as a two-lane road, and you are not allowed to pass in a school zone. I am constantly being tailgated for doing 15 miles per hour in the school zones.”

Marquez said another problem she sees is many parents are dropping their children off on the main street (Honeycutt) instead of at the drop-off area. “They stop traffic and create a danger to the student being dropped off,” Marquez remarked.

Marquez said she has a problem with the parents of the Kyrene bus students who reportedly clog up Orchid Street waiting in a long line of cars. “Orchid is the only street into Desert Springs,” Marquez said. “This is dangerous and creates a traffic problem. I believe if the parents are going to drive their kids to a bus stop, they can go to the southeast side of Bowlin and John Wayne Parkway where they are not creating a dangerous traffic situation. I am thinking about contacting the police about the Kyrene bus situation and the parents who drop off students on the main streets. However, Maricopa police are present every morning.”

According to Marquez, she believes the problem is that drivers wait for the police to pass and then drive recklessly because they are in a hurry.

“I believe the Maricopa Police Department is doing a good job; they just cannot be everywhere and see everything,” Marquez adds.

Maricopa Police Public Information Officer Hal Koozer noted that the penalty if caught for speeding in a school zone is $140. Phoenix was the first city in the country 57 years ago to establish 15 mph zones surrounding schools.

Pagliocco said she has chatted with other parents about the speeding issue in the area of Maricopa Elementary School.

“I am far from the only one who’s concerned about it,” Pagliocco continued. “It’s hard because the parents feel their hands are tied, and they are scared for their children’s safety. While I might be able to pick up and drop off my children, many walk or ride their bikes and are in serious danger from the residents and construction workers in this area who feel the need to ignore the posted speed signs. I fear it might take something bad to happen to remotely make an impact on these people.”

Photo by Joyce Hollis

Editor’s note: Take a moment to vote in the latest inmaricopa.com poll on our homepage.
The question asks – How frequently do you see people speeding in a school zone?