Remember this blog posting? High School Traffic Alert It was an eblast from the PTSA, the same folks urging people to vote a certain way in the last election. The traffic alert didn't sit well with me, but it seems it didn't sit well with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department either. The following email was sent out this week by Chief McDonough. Thank you, Chief McDonough for addressing this irresponsible notice sent out by the PTSA.
From: Coleman McDonough
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 2:40 PM
To: Cheryl Hunsberger
Cc: Ruby Kang; TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net; Mike Gallagher; Brian McFeeley
Subject: Mt. Lebanon High School PTSA
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 2:40 PM
To: Cheryl Hunsberger
Cc: Ruby Kang; TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net; Mike Gallagher; Brian McFeeley
Subject: Mt. Lebanon High School PTSA
Folks: Someone was kind enough to bring the below message (posted by the PSTA) to my attention this afternoon. I’d like to correct some of the misinformation that was found in the message, and I’d also like to express my disappointment with the message.
What’s true is that Mt. Lebanon Police officers ARE citing drivers who have been stopping at locations on Lebanon Ave. where such stopping is prohibited. We are NOT being “forced” into citing violators because of a single resident’s complaint; we are instead responding to the safety concerns of the entire community. We began citing drivers this morning because drivers, in spite of past warnings by uniformed officers, continue to disregard the officers’ warnings and disobey the lawfully posted signs, thus creating additional traffic congestion during rush hour when the municipality’s roadways (especially Cochran Rd.) are already above their capacities. The resulting congestion creates hazards well beyond the immediate area near the high school. This congestion could be mitigated if parents use the designated drop off points and traffic patterns that have been repeatedly published by the school district.
I appreciate your efforts to educate parents on the new traffic patterns and to counsel “patience and cooperation.” I do not appreciate the PSTA publicly singling out one resident as the cause of Mt. Lebanon Police enforcement action. Hopefully you will never be in the position where you bring a neighborhood problem to the attention of the police, and some well meaning organization publicly “blames” you for any related enforcement action.
I’d like to believe that the Mt. Lebanon Police Department, the Mt. Lebanon School District and the Mt. Lebanon PSTA will continue to partner together to enhance the general safety of the community. I do not believe the tone of the below posted message reflects such a partnership. I hope you appreciate my concerns and we can continue to work together to alleviate what will continue to be an admittedly difficult traffic situation. Rest assured, the Mt. Lebanon Police will continue to act toward that end.
Chief Coleman McDonough
Mt. Lebanon Police Department
Parents beware: The Mt. Lebanon Police are now ticketing cars that stop on Lebanon Avenue in the morning during student drop-off. 2 officers ticketing 4 cars this morning has been witnessed. Brian McFeeley has stated that the high school is not driving this - the Police Department has gotten complaints from a resident that lives on Lebanon, forcing them into a position of enforcing the posted "No Stopping" signs. Please go to http://www.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/hstrafficupdates.asp for the most up to date information. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!
