Traffic Concerns Emerge In Wake Of School Bus Decision
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With just days left before the first day school some Staten Islanders are predicting major traffic problems around area middle schools that have just lost school bus transportation. NY1's Joe Malvasio filed the following report.Things were quiet Wednesday outside IS 72 in Heartland Village. But come the first day of school, some predict the streets will be chaos.
"I think it's going to nightmare around these schools," said Staten Island Community Education Council President Sam Pirozzolo.
Pirozzolo says the city's decision to cut bussing for 7th and 8th graders on the Island -- to save just $1.6 million -- will make this year's first day of school a confusing and potentially dangerous mess. He says many kids will be scrambling to get to school and unprepared to take city buses.
"They are either going to walk or they are going to be driven. So you have 3,000 cars that are now going to be surrounding Intermediate schools on Staten Island," Pirozzolo said.
The Council warns some Island neighborhoods will be hammered with extra traffic. The CEC predicts the number of students cut from yellow bus service will translate into a similar jump in the number of cars at the schools.
If that's the case, the hardest hit will be IS 72 where 500 students have lost bus service. An additional 482 students at IS 7; 340 students at IS 24; 325 students at IS 34; and 290 students at IS 75 will all be scrambling to get to school.
"It's like a madhouse already. So, I can imagine them closing down buses will only make the traffic worse," said one concerned parent.
The Department of Education and the Department of Transportation still seem to have no plans to handle the possibility of additional traffic. A DOT spokesperson would only say the agency will monitor the first day and make any adjustments if necessary.
"Sometimes you have to make decisions that are tough, but that are financially necessary. The alternative is always to take the money out of teaching out of the classroom," said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.
Island parents and elected officials say they are holding out hope that Mayor Michael Bloomberg will change his mind and keep buses rolling for the first day of school. They will be holding a rally on the Island to urge him to do so next week.