Newtown High School will remove its morning traffic control officer for three days as part of what Principal Charles Dumais is calling "a morning experiment."
From Monday, Nov. 25 to Wednesday, Nov. 27, the school will operate without the officer on Route 34 in the mornings to see if traffic flow is improved.
"Morning traffic at Newtown High School is replete with challenges," Dumais wrote on the high school blog. "Parents dropping off students, student drivers, buses, commuters accessing I-84, two traffic lights, and a traffic control officer who tries to coordinate it all. It has been suggested that, even with all of the challenges, traffic conditions might be smoother without a Traffic Control Officer directing the flow of traffic on Route 34 at the high school entrance."
School officials consulted with the Newtown Police Department, Newtown High School Security and All-Star Transportation, who will be monitoring the exercise. Dumais said the school has tried to make internal adjustments, including moving the bus drop further up the highway and separating bus and auto lanes.
Dumais asked drivers to ensure the plan works by allowing the busses to keep moving and letting others go first.
"In order for this trial to be successful, we will need cooperation, patience, and goodwill from all of our drivers," he said. "We are asking that you make every effort to minimize disruption to the natural flow of traffic and maximize the ease with which buses travel into and out of the driveway."
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