School’s Traffic Problems Years Old, Neighbors Say

Residents on a cul-de-sac adjacent to Centralia Elementary School say they have complained to school officials for years that parents dropping off and picking up their children have caused traffic congestion and safety problems on the street.

The daily logjam, residents of Grant Circle say, is caused by the lack of parking at the school’s main entrance, the site of Tuesday’s one-car accident that killed two students.

Parents who cannot get into the driveway/parking lot where Bianca Perez, 7, and Nidia “Liz” Curiel, 6, were killed pour into narrow Grant Circle in Buena Park, where a pedestrian gate allows access to school grounds.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” said Dave Kirby, who has lived on the street 15 years. “There are times when 40 to 50 cars are stacked up. People can’t get in and out.... The designer of the school created a nightmare for the residents.”

The problem began several years ago when booming student enrollment led Centralia to reopen after years of being closed.

Since then, the street’s 28 households have petitioned the school twice to shut the gate.

And Buena Park police have issued hundreds of citations during periodic crackdowns on double parking.

Parents also have complained about traffic and safety problems in the driveway area when they pick up and drop off their children.

“They’re not empty complaints,” said school spokeswoman Colleen Bragalone.

She said school officials have encouraged parents not to use Grant Circle and have occasionally called police. But the gate will remain open, Bragalone said.

“We’re not ignoring their complaints. We’re trying to work out the best compromise for everyone,” she said.

It is unclear whether the crowding had anything to do with the fatal accident.

Anaheim police Thursday continued to investigate but had yet to re-interview the driver, Maria Juarez, 50, of Anaheim. State records show Juarez has a driver’s license. She got a speeding ticket in November 1999 and has had two minor accidents.

A memorial service for Bianca Perez will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Victory Baptist Church, 227 N. Magnolia Ave., Anaheim.

A service for Nidia Curiel will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at La Iglesia Luz del Mundo, 512 Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana.