White Oak traffic fixed

A trial traffic improvement program at White Oak Elementary in Westlake Village has increased safety and vehicle flow so much that the City Council has agreed to cover the costs of the effort.

Traffic around local schools during morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up times has long been a problem. To help address the issue, White Oak Principal Abbe Irshay and Parent Faculty Club President Melinda Miller came up with the idea of using parking attendants to oversee the flow of cars.The program began operating at the beginning of this school year.

Two parking attendants are stationed at the main drop-off area by the multipurpose room and one at the kindergarten area for 30 minutes in the mornings. Two attendants are at the main drop-off area in the afternoons. The attendants, who are Las Virgenes Unified School District employees, open car doors, help children in and out, and keep vehicles moving smoothly in a single line.

School officials say that in the few months that the program has been in place, the parking attendants have established a level of trust and cooperation from families, resulting in students exiting and entering vehicles without the need for parents to get out of the car. The improved traffic flow allowed the dropoff area to be narrowed to one lane, eliminating double parking.

"Traffic engineers have looked at ways to improve traffic flow at White Oak for years," said Ray Taylor, Westlake Village city manager. "We concluded that this was a wonderful idea, very creative and worthy of city funding."

The cost of the program is estimated to be about $9,000 annually. Each attendant will earn $20 an hour, working about 2.5 hours each school day.

The funding will be offset by reducing the need for a sheriff's deputy who was paid by the city to be at the school each morning.

"Staff actually thinks we will see a drop in costs and an overall improvement in traffic safety," Taylor said. A deputy will still occasionally

be stationed at the school, especially at the beginning of the school year, to remind parents of the importance of traffic safety.

"We want to make sure everyone is following the rules," City Councilmember Mark Rutherford said.

The council recognized Irshay and Miller for their input.

"I have to commend you. It's creative. We're living within the same budget framework," Councilmember Bob Slavin said. "It's good to change things, be innovative."

Councilmember Philippa Klessig suggested organizing "walking bus" groups to help cut down on automotive traffic around the school. The walking bus concept involves a group of children who walk to and from school accompanied by a parent at the front and another at the back of the group. Meeting points along the way allow additional children to join the group. Irshay and Miller said the school is working on a walking bus program and is considering monthly walk-to-school days.