The State of Texas has experienced considerable population growth in recent years. This growth has produced new schools in areas near highways designed for low volumes and relatively high speeds. Another trend is the higher proportion of children being transported to and from schools in private vehicles. These realities, and other issues, make it important to aggressively consider the design of roadways within and around schools to ensure the safest possible traffic environment. Equally important is the consideration of the location and design of the school site, preferably during the planning stages, in order to establish safe and efficient operations. This paper summarizes the results of a two-year study to develop school site planning guidelines for transportation-related elements such as site selection, general site requirements and design, bus operations, parent drop-off/pick-up zone, driveways, turn lanes, signing and marking, parking, and pedestrian/bicycle access. The research team based these guidelines on a comprehensive review of existing guidelines and the results of field studies at over thirty schools in Texas. Examples of good practices and of practices to avoid are provided to illustrate the guidelines. The guidelines are focused on transportation design, operations and safety within school sites - with a particular focus on parent drop-off/pick-up zones. The final portion of the paper contains a site plan review checklist based on the 21 consensus guidelines. Engineers, field crews, architects, and school district personnel can use this checklist to coordinate efforts and improve the safety and efficiency of school site access and traffic flow.
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