 Last Thursday the Traffic Council of the Board of Aldermen heard the item that was docketed by our Ward 4 Aldermen requesting a review of traffic safety around the Burr School. A number of parents and neighbors attended, along with Ms. Johal and Alderman Jay Harney. A city Traffic Engineer displayed slides showing maps and photos of the area, along with the current parking restrictions and some "action" shots from morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal. After a lengthy discussion of the issues, it was clear that while Burr has done a good job encouraging more families to walk to school whenever possible and educating families about Blue Zone and traffic regulations, with our growing population more help is needed to keep everyone safe. Based on the feedback we received from the Traffic Council on these issues and the possible solutions that were raised, our Aldermen will now begin the process of working with our school community and the neighborhood to reach some consensus on specific action items that we can then bring back to Traffic Council for their consideration.
One important development from the meeting is the increased enforcement that we will be seeing from the Newton Police Department during arrival and dismissal. Sergeant Jay Babcock from the Newton Police/Traffic Bureau, a member of the Traffic Council, will send directed patrols to Burr frequently in the coming weeks to help put an end to illegal and unsafe practices such as double-parking, letting kids out of cars while stopped in traffic, jaywalking, reversing direction in the school zone, "waiting" in no parking areas, blocking neighbors' driveways, etc. Please remember that the police are here to help keep our children safe, and this enforcement is a direct result of our failure to stop these practices on our own. | 
