To: Stamford Board of Education, Stamford Transportation, Traffic & Parking Department, and City of Stamford Administration

We, the undersigned students, parents, faculty, and Stamford residents, respectfully call on the City of Stamford and the Board of Education to remove the physical barriers blocking access to Kijek Street and High Clear Drive from the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering and Rippowam Middle School campus. The current traffic configuration creates unnecessary danger, delays, and inconvenience for hundreds of people every school day. This petition outlines three key reasons for the proposed change, and a low-cost, practical solution.

 
Point 1 — A single undermaintained bottleneck is failing students, parents, and the broader community.

The campus currently funnels all exiting traffic — from two schools, totaling hundreds of students and families — through a single exit onto High Ridge Road, controlled by one traffic light operating on a 20-second green / 3-minute red cycle. This creates a severe bottleneck that backs traffic up through the campus and onto High Ridge Road itself, impeding the flow of everyday drivers with no connection to the schools. The road infrastructure at this single exit point was not designed to absorb the concentrated dismissal volume of two schools simultaneously. The result is extended idle times, gridlock within the campus parking areas, and unnecessary congestion on a major public road — a daily Quality of Life failure for students, parents, teachers, and Stamford drivers alike.

 
Point 2 — The bottleneck creates dangerous conditions for students and pedestrians.

When drivers face a 3-minute wait at a traffic light after a full school day, the incentive to accelerate through yellow lights becomes significant. High Ridge Road is a high-speed arterial road, and the convergence of impatient departing drivers with students walking home — many of whom must cross High Ridge Road or the campus exit itself — creates predictable and preventable danger. A traffic system that behaviorally incentivizes speeding through yellow lights in a zone with pedestrian traffic is an accident waiting to happen. Distributing exit load across multiple roads directly reduces this risk by reducing the pressure on any single exit point.

 
Point 3 — The barriers block legitimate public access to community athletic facilities.

The Rippowam Track, baseball fields, tennis courts, and athletic fields on the campus grounds are public amenities that Stamford residents should be able to access freely. Currently, any resident wishing to use these facilities from the south or east — including those coming from the High Clear Drive neighborhood — must drive entirely around the campus perimeter to reach the parking area. The barriers that create this inconvenience serve no documented public safety or traffic management purpose. Removing them would restore direct, logical access to community green space for residents who live within walking or short driving distance.

 
Proposed Solution

When the current school year ends in June 2026, we ask the City of Stamford to: remove the physical barriers at Kijek Street and the High Clear Drive campus connection, and perform any necessary minor road surface repairs to restore those connections to usable condition. Based on the scope of work involved — barrier removal and limited patching of existing paved surfaces — the total cost to the city is estimated at no more than $2,000. No new road construction is required. The infrastructure already exists. The return on that investment is immediate and lasting: reduced congestion, improved pedestrian safety, restored community access, and a better daily experience for hundreds of Stamford students and families.

We respectfully ask that this matter be reviewed and acted upon before the start of the 2026–2027 school year.