LONGWOOD, Fla. — Drivers in Longwood will have to be more careful around one particular school zone starting Monday.
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The Longwood Police Department is reminding drivers that traffic enforcement will begin Monday for new signs recently installed in the school zones around Longwood Elementary School.
According to Principle Leigh Jones, the signs were deemed to be “critical” based on the pattern of driving associated with the school’s drop-off and pickup lines.
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The signs have been in place for just over a month.
In a post to social media, Principal Jones said police have been monitoring the school’s drop-off and pickup lines since the beginning of the year and noted that the lines have moved much more quickly and students have been safer as a result of the new traffic patterns around the school created by the additional signage.
Jones says they’re still waiting for a “no right turn” sign to be placed at Church Ave., but there will be a brief grace period and informational timeframe before enforcement begins there.
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The new signs that WILL be enforced starting on Monday include additional signage for crosswalks and one prohibiting left turns onto S. Lakeview Drive during drop-off and pickup times.
There are also new signs emphasizing the 15 mile-per-hour speed limit in the school zones on Lakeview Dr. and Orange Ave. and the prohibition on the use of wireless devices while driving in a school zone.
Beginning Monday morning, any violations in the school zone witnessed by an officer could earn the driver a uniform traffic citation.
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In her message to families, Principal Jones encouraged drivers to take note of the signage and alert any family members who may not typically drive through the car line that certain accesses to the school will no longer be available.
See a map of the preferred approach to the school below:
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