Lyons Farm Elementary

How will my family be able to access Lyons Farm Elementary this fall?   

When school opens, the parent/visitor driveway west of the school will be accessible to drivers through a right-turn and left-turn lane off Scott King Road. All drivers will exit campus through the eastern driveway across from Lyon Tree Lane. Currently, DPS will provide bus service for any Lyons Farm family who requests it. Please contact Lyons Farm’s Data Manager, Ms. Vanessa Rogers, at vanessa_rogers@dpsnc.net as soon as you know that your student will need morning and/or afternoon bus transportation. 

We want to walk to school. Why aren’t there more sidewalks in the area or a pedestrian crosswalk across Scott King Road? 

Historically, Scott King Road has served as a more rural, country road with a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit. While parts of the neighborhoods near Lyons Farm Elementary are incorporated into the City of Durham and have sidewalks on at least one side of the road, most of Durham County outside city limits does not have sidewalks. The context of Scott King Road is changing. This summer, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), is lowering the speed limit to 35 miles per hour and the City of Durham will install beacons that will flash during the morning and afternoon to warn drivers of a 25-mile-per-hour school zone speed limit. 

What is being done to create safer pedestrian access for people who want to walk to/from Lyons Farm Elementary? 

DPS will construct:

• A pedestrian crosswalk across Scott King Road
• Continuous sidewalk between the two school driveways
• A path connecting the Scott King Road crosswalk to the crosswalk in front of the carpool loading area

This project is separate from the school construction timeline and is estimated to be complete Winter 2023. Combining the crosswalk construction with the school construction project would have resulted in a delay to the opening of the school. The staggered construction schedule is attributable to the crosswalk not being required as a roadway improvement by NCDOT or the City of Durham as part of the Traffic Impact Analysis submitted with the original construction drawings for the school site. Since the approval of the original construction documents, DPS continued to pursue the inclusion and approval of a crosswalk that includes pushbutton-activated flashing beacons.  

Wait, I thought there was a walk zone for Lyons Farm Elementary? 

DPS Board of Education Policy 6321 states, “School buses will be efficiently routed on primary roads maintained by the city or state.  Hazardous road conditions are to be avoided.  A safe school walk zone may be established, and if established, school buses will not stop within the walk zone except for students with disabilities.” Given the new traffic pattern and evolving design of Scott King Road, a safe school walk zone has yet to be established for Lyons Farm Elementary. We look forward to seeing LFES families walk to school together in the near future! 

What about biking to school?  

Scott King Road does not have lanes designated for bicyclists. When operating in the roadway, bicyclists should ride in the same direction as motorized traffic. Once on campus, bicyclists should dismount when using crosswalks or sidewalks. Bicycle parking is located near the loading area. 

If you have questions or concerns about how your family will travel to and from Lyons Farm Elementary, please reach out to Principal Hopkins at james_hopkins@dpsnc.net.