In an ongoing effort to improve morning school traffic, the city’s engineering department has called upon Bridgeport Police to provide monitoring.

 

“They are making sure school traffic stays on the main thoroughfare of Johnson Avenue and trying to circumvent the majority that is going through neighborhoods in the mornings, causing an issue in itself,” said Assistant Police Chief Mark Rogers.

 

Rogers assures residents that his department is not trying to keep residents from entering the street on which they live and that one-way traffic has not been implemented on any city streets for this purpose.

 

In fact, only motorists traveling to a home on these streets are permitted during the time of the morning monitoring.

 

What has been happening, Rogers said, is that parents and students heading to Bridgeport High, Bridgeport Middle and Johnson Elementary schools are cutting through nearby neighborhoods and that creates a bottleneck situation on both sides of Johnson Avenue.

 

“We’re really just trying to alleviate this stop-andgo; people sitting in traffic 15 minutes at a time and not moving,” he said. “When you have three schools in a quarter-of-a-mile area, it’s going to create a high traffic area in a small space.”

 

Rogers encourages individuals traveling to the above-mentioned schools to stay on the main thoroughfare - Philadelphia Avenue and Johnson Avenue – and not cutting through residential neighborhoods.

 

The PD also asks for residents of neighborhoods near schools to have patience. Rogers assures them that his officers are not trying to create hardship for them, but rather keep traffic out of their neighborhoods. No one should encounter trouble getting to his or her own home. Communicate with the officer on duty that you are simply going to your home and there should be issue getting there.

 

Bridgeport Engineering Department implemented the signs that have been placed in the neighborhoods. The police department is helping to enforce them by providing monitoring between 7 and 8 a.m.