Clemmons changes traffic pattern near school to help with congestion during arrival, dismissal

CLEMMONS, N.C. (WGHP) — Leaders in the Village of Clemmons are trying to make the pickup and drop-off process at Clemmons Elementary School on Bingham Avenue a little bit easier.

It’s made some adjustments to handle the increase of cars passing through each day. Four blocks around the school have been made one-way as well as three Blocks on James Street and one on Bingham Avenue.

It’s only been two days since the 2024-2025 school year started, and families with students at the school are still trying to adapt to the change.

“At first, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out. We’ve just been doing it a certain way,” said Jenna Domingo, a parent.

Domingo has a third-grade student who attends CES. She also has an older child who used to attend school there.

She said traffic has been a problem in the area around the school on Bingham Avenue for years, especially during pick-up and drop-off.

“I do think that they had to make some changes because there was a lot of cars that would be stacked up … and it was … a really tough spot to have cars just stop and stop. Like it could be up to 20 cars, and it’s just a safety hazard,” Domingo said.

The goal of the traffic pattern change is to reduce traffic on Stadium Drive. The sheriff’s office is helping to control the flow of traffic. After the first day of school on Monday, Clemmons leaders posted on Facebook, apologizing for the confusion, stress or extended wait times drivers may have experienced.

Now, they are looking to make additional changes to further help with traffic congestion.

“I think the main thing to keep in mind is that this is really for the safety of everyone,” Village of Clemmons Director of Marketing and Communications Shannon Ford said.

At James Street, Cook Avenue and Brewer Avenue, they plan to now add three-way stops to further improve the flow of traffic

The signage will be added before the end of the week.

“Change takes time, and it’s going to take some adjusting. The biggest thing we need from the parents and from the neighborhood is to work with us while we make the changes,” said Lt. Jody Chatham with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

The changes to the traffic flow in the area surrounding the school are permanent. Many parents want to see the traffic improvements.

“It’s going to take a little while to kind of figure it out and get all the kinks worked out. But it’s the first week … and we just have to pack our patience, and it’ll all work out,” Domingo said.

Clemmons will continue to update the community on traffic changes as they come.

Here are the most recent instructions for drop-off and pick-up at CES:

• Stacking will be allowed on James Street from Cook Avenue to Bingham Avenue. No stacking will be allowed on two-way streets, including James Street in front of the Forsyth County Public Library. You can access James Street via Cook Avenue and Brewer Avenue.
• When stacking, K-1 should be in the left lane. Grades two through five should be in the right lane.
• To decrease your wait time, use the feeder streets to James Street, including Cook Avenue and Brewer Avenue. Three-way stops will be implemented as soon as weather permits at these intersections.
• No stopping is allowed on Stadium Drive or Lewisville-Clemmons Road to access any street.
• Additional street striping and arrows will be painted as weather permits.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.