Improved Beehive parking lot to reduce neighborhood traffic congestion

After two years of waiting, Beehive Elementary School's new parking lot is now complete.

The parking lot upgrade was an initiative started by the school's community council to improve traffic flow, not only in the lot itself, but in the surrounding neighborhood as well during peak drop-off and pickup times. The safety of the students was the council's number one concern.

"It was just too chaotic the way it was set up," said Carol Davis, who was the school community council chair in 2009, when the discussion over the parking lot started. "If I lived on Sarah Jane [Drive], I would hate it."

During the morning and evening rush to and from school, traffic on Sarah Jane Drive in front of the school would become like an extension of the old parking lot, as parents' cars got backed up far down the street. This congestion was partly responsible for one accident in which a student's leg was broken, as well as many near misses, Davis said.

Inside the actual parking lot, conditions were about as bad. The double circle design intended to accommodate cars and busses made the lot too cramped, and cars had difficulty getting in and out without blocking each others' way.

"It was just not safe the way we were doing it before," Principal Pauline Longberg said.

There was also no room for parents to park and wait for their students, so they had to use a nearby county-owned lot, which is only accessible through the Beehive lot, and was not well-plowed most winters.

Beehive no longer has students being transported to and from school on busses, and is considered a "walking school." However, many parents still felt that driving their children to school was the safer option, partly because of the Sarah Jane Drive congestion, and also because of the school's proximity to busy Cougar Lane. The safe walking route that was marked out for the school took students far out of their way to get to school.

Davis included herself in that number, as she has very small children who attend Beehive, she said.

"I understand why parents want to drive their kids," Davis said. "That's precious cargo."

Rebuilding the school's parking lot was one of the community council's top priorities when she took over as Beehive's principal two years ago, Longberg said. With Granite District's backing, construction began in July this year. A few complications ensued and were overcome, such as a fire hydrant that needed to be moved, and the project was officially completed Aug. 12.Overall, the parking lot project was a solid effort by the school, community and contractors, and went off quite smoothly, District Architectural Engineering and Construction Services Director Jim Day said.

"It's been a long process," Longberg said. "The community has been incredibly patient."

The new parking lot is larger than the old one, and more straightforwardly designed, with separate sections for teachers and visitors vehicles versus those with waiting parents. As long as everyone follows the traffic rules, everything should run much more smoothly now, and that should be no problem as Beehive's parents are courteous people, Davis said.