Suggestions Offered for Traffic at New Elementary School but No Solution Apparent

Report on the Meeting of the Town Services and Outreach Committee, November 6, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded

Present
Andy Steinberg (chair, at-large), Hala Lord and George Ryan (District 3), Jennifer Taub (District 4), and Bob Hegner (District 5).

Staff: Michael Gallo O’Connell (Director of Operations for the public schools), Gabe Ting (Amherst Police Chief), Guilford Mooring (Superintendent of Public Works) Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of Town Council), and Cathy Schoen (Chair, Elementary School Building Committee).

The Town Services and Outreach Committee (TSO) revisited the issue of how to handle the expected increase in traffic on South East Street when the new elementary school opens in the fall and there are almost twice as many students to accommodate as currently attend Fort River. Because time and money are too short for a major street redesign, temporary solutions of traffic monitors and an additional traffic light were entertained, with the committee unanimously passing a motion to direct the Town Manager to create an appropriate working group of staff from the schools and the town to address traffic, parking, and safety issues when the new school opens in the fall of 2026.

Jeremy Andersen advocated for the redesign of the intersections and roads leading to the new school [to be] a statement of what the future of transportation in Amherst could look like—one that equally prioritizes walking, biking, rolling, public transportation, and not just private automobiles.

The meeting began with a public comment from Jeremy Anderson who noted the lack of safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in town. He said that more than 138 students and their families participated in the Fall International Walk, Bike, and Roll to School event in October, but most groups needed escorts from the Amherst Police Department (APD) “because the roads leading to the respective schools are unsafe for walking, biking, or rolling.” He advocated for the redesign of the intersections and roads leading to the new school [to be] a statement of what the future of transportation in Amherst could look like—one that equally prioritizes walking, biking, rolling, public transportation, and not just private automobiles. This redesign needs to include ADA-compliant sidewalks, separate and protected bike lanes, and lowered speeds past our schools throughout the day.”

A previous plan creating four roundabouts between Main and College Streets on South East Street was not supported by TSO because it did not address bicycle and pedestrian safety. As Andy Steinberg said, “It was a way of dealing with cars, but not young children.” However, no new plan was endorsed.

Police Chief Gabe Ting said that the biggest choke points are the morning drop offs and afternoon pick up times and that traffic in the area at other times of the day was okay. He thought a traffic circle at the Main Street intersection would be a good idea, but would be expensive and could not be completed before the school opened in the fall. There was concern about the short distance between the north exit from the school parking lot and Main Street causing gridlock even with a traffic circle.

Director of Operations for the schools Michael Gallo O’Connell said his biggest concern was getting the school buses out of the parking lot in time for them to make their routes for the middle school and high school students. There are now six school buses that serve Fort River, but that could double with the increase in number of students. He did not think that the number of walkers and bicycle riders would increase, but he was worried about more automobile traffic when there are more parents who want to drop their children off.

TSO member Jennifer Taub suggested that all school buses turn right when exiting the school parking lot. Gallo said that four of the six buses now turn left, but that could increase to up to 10 next year. Making them all go right is a possibility, but would involve longer routes. Bob Hegner suggested that a traffic light be installed at the driveway that would be controlled by the bus drivers. This light would need to be coordinated with the traffic lights at the two major intersections. Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring said he thought this coordination would be possible, but a new light system could cost up to $300,000. Elementary School Building Committee Chair Cathy Schoen pointed out that a traffic light was removed from the Pomeroy intersection when the roundabout was created there and that light could be used here on a temporary pole, as was done on Meadow Street. Mooring agreed that there was a spare traffic light, but said there was no spare controller, and that might cost $150,000. He stated that the existing controllers for the lights at the two main intersections are the most advanced that the town owns. Schoen suggested that free cash could be used for this purpose.

It was generally acknowledged that there would need to be a person stationed at both entrance/exits from the school parking lot at least until a more permanent solution was found. Ting said that police officers were stationed there when construction of the school began, but that this was not sustainable due to staffing challenges at the APD. Schoen also wanted to know if the angled cut-off street from Belchertown Road to South East Street could be eliminated, since it is very close to the south entrance to the school and has poor visibility. Mooring said that this might be possible, but that road serves as the driveway for the for the apartments and bank at the corner. People exiting those places would have to go south and around to South East Street at the light.

Mooring also indicated that it might be possible to widen South East Street to three lanes to allow for turning lanes in both directions, but that would involve removing six or seven shade trees from the common and could not be accomplished by next fall.

Off-Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Routes Can Be Improved
It was previously noted that there is a path to the school from Main Street that is in poor condition but could be improved to encourage walkers and bicyclists to avoid the sidewalk in front of the school. A similar path could be created from Belchertown Road, but this would involve constructing a bridge over the creek in that location.

Parking for Staff at the School Will Also Be a Problem in the Fall
Schoen raised another issue that had not been previously considered by TSO. When the new school opens, the old building will need to be demolished, and that will take away much of the parking now used for staff. She said that there will need to be a temporary plan to handle parking during that time, possibly by creating a remote parking location. Gallo O’Connell said that he will consult with designer Tim Cooper about how many spaces will be needed and determine what is available within walking distance. Hegner suggested looking into the town owned property on Belchertown Road slated to be used for an affordable housing development. The site is not paved, but may present a short-term solution for parking.

George Ryan emphasized that solving this issue is a high priority for the town. However, he thought it needs to be solved by town and school staff and does not need to come back to TSO. This might be something for the Transportation and Parking Commission to decide if the council decides to create that body, but realistically it would not be operational in time to act on this issue, since it does not exist yet and members would need to be chosen by the Town Manager as well as the new council to be seated in January.

Other Recommendations for Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety
In addition to commenting about the conditions around the new elementary school, Anderson enumerated several other measures that the town needs to take to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

1. Install the school zone signs the high school and middle school that were approved by the Town Council in November, 2024 and are still not installed:
2. Install the dynamic speed signs approved by the Joint Capital Planning Committee for FY26 and are not yet installed
3. Institute a 20-mph safety zone throughout town
4. Paint yellow median lines on all roads
5. Submit the Complete Streets Level 2 Priority Plan to Mass Department of Transportation, which would allow the town to be eligible for state grants for pedestrian and bicycle safety.
6. Finalize and accept the Amherst Bicycle and Pedestrian Network plan developed by the Transportation Advisory Committee in 2018.