Yes, in my backyard

You've heard of NIMBY, right? If not, it means "not in my backyard" and generally refers to neighborhoods that don't want certain types of local development, e.g., liquor stores, prisons (!), rail lines, etc.

Well, I've got a NIMBY situation. Just two blocks from where I live, a former elementary school that has been used for adult education classes is going to be re-activated this fall as a middle school. The kids who will be attending this school were displaced because their existing facility is being renovated.

The upshot is that hundreds of middle-school students will be streaming into our otherwise quiet environs each morning and streaming out each afternoon. My neighbors are, how shall I say, not happy. But, the silver lining is that school buses will pick up many of the students at their former middle school and transport them to the new campus, reducing the number of cars flowing into and out of the neighborhood. Congestion reduction is often overlooked as one of the big pluses of school bus transportation.

The more buses, the better!

Keep it safe.

Steve

 

Print | posted on Friday, May 18, 2007 12:02 PM

Comments

 re: Yes, in my backyard

left by Michele at 5/18/2007 5:20 PM
Speaking of congestion reduction I would have thought that parents in this locality would be clamoring to have buses pick up their kids when the price of gas continues to climb. Not to mention the fact that every morning without fail there is a snarl of traffic on the two approaches to the high school and middle school that travels at snail speed.

 re: Yes, in my backyard

left by Goeff Bridgman at 5/20/2007 1:46 PM
With gasoline at an all time high price, I'm amazed at how many parents still drive their children to school. I have moms in their gas-guzzling SUVs in front and behind me every day as I make my way to the school. They snarl up the parking lots and delay my delivery of students while they unload their kids. Our school district, like others, operates a comprehensive transportation system and I feel all kids should be riding the bus. Parents have many reasons, I'm sure, for keeping their kids off the bus, but this is the real world, not being chauffered to school in mom's luxury SUV. Any problems students might have on the bus can be resolved by school administration and transportation. School districts should encourage all parents to have their children ride the bus.

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