PALM COAST, Fla. — Barbara Larsen said the student drop-off and pickup lines at Imagine Schools cause major issues when she tries to leave her Coastal Gardens neighborhood.

Larsen said she has to take Lake Avenue to Town Center Boulevard.

What You Need To Know

  • Barbara Larsen says parents block Town Center Boulevard waiting to pick up students at Imagine Schools

  • Larsen says she can get stuck on the two-lane road

  • Palm Coast says it doesn't have an immediate solution, but the city is working with the school

  • Long-term, Palm Coast plans to build and extend roads to relieve congestion

“They start lining up to pick up their children at 1:30 pm, and dismissal is not until 3 p.m., and we just sit here and the line gets longer and longer,” Larsen said.

The line of cars blocks others from using Town Center Boulevard since it’s just a two-lane road. Larsen says she can sit in traffic for up to 35 minutes.

“Frustrated, it’s something I do not look forward to, and I’m not paying attention to the time of day and I’ve gotten stuck there often,” she said.

Not only frustrating, but dangerous. Larsen said vehicles will often cross the double yellow line and go into oncoming traffic to avoid the line of cars.

“There was almost a head-on collision more than once, out of frustration,” Larsen said.

The city is aware of the problem, but a Palm Coast spokeswoman said it doesn't have an immediate solution.

In the long run, the city plans to extend Lake Avenue to the west and another road connection on the western end of Coastal Garden, to resolve the issue.

In the short term, the city met with the charter school to look at providing additional parking areas within the school campus to provide better circulation and stacking areas for parents.

But so far, nothing has come of that.

Larsen doesn’t plan to give up.

“I love this community, and that’s why I’m working so diligently to solve this problem,” she said.

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