GF school study says make Quade Street one-way, south

May 30, 2024 Hot Copy

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

Editor’s note: Reporter Cathy DeDe lives on Quade Street, near the Glens Falls Middle-High School complex.

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A traffic study by the Glens Falls City School District proposes turning Quade Street one-way permanently, to run southbound only, from Grant to Sherman Avenue. The final public comment period ends tomorrow, Friday, May 31, said an email blast last week from the school. The draft final report is available on the district Website.

Engineering firm Creighton Manning did a two-year study of drop-off and pick-up times at the Middle and High Schools on behalf of the school district, City of Glens Falls and Adirondack Glens Falls Transportation Council.

Creighton Manning said the school’s current system of setting traffic cones across Quade Street at West Notre Dame and Shippey Streets, to form separate temporary one-way travel each morning and afternoon, has “issues.”

It said vehicles make U-turns or back up at the coned areas, double park on the street, block or turn around in neighbors’ driveways and block visibility for students crossing the street.

Congestion is also high, it said, on Sherman and Grant Avenues, north and south of the school complex, and in the school’s Sherman Ave. lot, without clear paths for vehicles or pedestrians to follow and without distinct drop off points.

Share the road — Rather than the current two lanes of two-way traffic on Quade Street in front of Glens Falls Middle and High Schools, a study suggests a parking lane, bike lane with buffer, one-way southbound drive lane, and pick-up/drop off area closest to the schools. Images/Draft traffic report by Creighton Manning

The study suggested designating parking, bike and drop-off lanes, improving sidewalks and upgrading them to be ADA compliant, and adding raised crosswalks/speed bumps, among other ideas.

It suggested adding sidewalks where they don’t currently exist on both sides of several nearby streets, including Clayton, Grant, Shippey, Liberty and Quade.

Current set-up — Congestion is heavy all around the school complex, says the report. Images/Draft traffic report by Creighton Manning

The report said separating start and end times of the Middle and High School days by as little as 10 or 15 minutes would also improve traffic.

Creighton Manning gathered real-time data regarding car traffic, walkers, bikes and buses in the blocks surrounding the two schools, the study says.

Glens Falls is a non-busing district; many families drive students to school.

Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980

GF school study says make Quade Street one-way, south

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