As fewer children walk to school congestion in school zones is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for some of area school districts.

Congestion is a a problem in Jamestown, as we have seen with children struck by vehicles near Persell Middle School. Those incidents have prompted a variety of responses that include discussion of school zone speed cameras, additional police near schools during drop-off and pick-up and additional school officials outside Persell Middle School to help students get across Hazeltine Avenue safely. Congestion has become a problem in Falconer, where a student was struck by a vehicle before the end of the school year to prompt a new discussion of school zone safety amongst school, village and town of Ellicott officials.

The intersection of East Avenue and East Main Street next to the school has previously been a focal point for student safety. Then-state Sen. Cathy Young in 2018 helped push for a new traffic signal to be installed by the state Department of Transportation after two students were struck by a car as they were walking by the school. East James and Falconer streets are the focus of discussion now, with suggestions including more signs, painting the street with more distinct markings and trying to change traffic patterns when parents are dropping off and picking up their children.

It would be great if there was one silver bullet to fix traffic congestion problems around school. In reality, there isn’t much that can be done for many schools to make them safer unless major changes are made to the streets themselves — namely closing them off to traffic entirely. Many schools and neighborhoods — particularly in Jamestown but in Falconer as well — weren’t built for heavy vehicular traffic. Drop-off areas and the side streets around many schools were designed for a small amount of vehicular that are exceeded quickly on a school morning or afternoon. In other cases intersections were designed to move vehicles, not pedestrians. With those landscapes well established options are limited to fix the traffic problems we see now.

That means the solution is changing people’s habits. A heavier police presence in the area may help, particularly when it comes to speed and distracted driving in school zones. Parents can help, too, by finding areas to pick up their children where they don’t have to cross a busy intersection. And, we could all stand to slow down and take our time during pick-up and drop-off times.

The problems we’re seeing in Jamestown and Falconer can’t be easily fixed by school boards, town or village boards or the City Council. They’re community problems. And it’s up to the community to fix them.