Transportation planners address concerns from parents, community members about traffic around Mandarin Middle School

Parents at Mandarin Middle School voiced their concerns about traffic and safety when they drop off and pick up their kids during a meeting Thursday night with state and regional transportation planners.Some of the planners were with the Florida Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program, a state initiative designed to make walking and biking to school safer for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.Others were with the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, an independent regional transportation planning agency for Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties.Those experts told parents and community members that they are considering solutions like crosswalks, speed reduction and encouraging more students to walk or bike to school.Although that last one might be a tough sell for the school’s parents.Walking to schoolA Mandarin Middle Travel Safety Survey found that nearly three-quarters (71%) of those who responded would not be comfortable with their