ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — With the 2026-27 school year just days away, residents of a Royal Palm Beach community are sounding the alarm over a traffic plan they say is endangering children near H.L. Johnson Elementary School. Parents in the Bella Sera neighborhood report that a school-directed U-turn, implemented to manage drop-off and pickup lines, has created daily traffic jams and multiple "close calls" involving student pedestrians and cyclists.
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The issue began about a year ago, according to residents, when a "No U-Turn" sign was installed directly at the school to ease congestion. However, a video message sent to parents by the school during the second week of the 2025 school year instructed drivers to instead "go around and then you’re going to make a U-turn in front of Bella Sera."
A 'Solution' That Shifted the Problem
Brianna Steel, a lifelong Royal Palm Beach resident who has lived in the Bella Sera community for nearly a decade, says the directive simply moved the traffic bottleneck and created a new set of hazards.
The daily queue of cars waiting to make the U-turn now blocks the entrance and exit to her community, causing significant backups. More alarmingly, she says it puts children in peril.
"We've had you know some pretty close calls with kids throughout the past year," Steel said. "We've had one kid fall off of a bike to avoid getting hit. We've had cars jump up on the curb to try and make a tight U-turn, and it's with the school year starting, it's becoming a big safety issue."
Steel feels the situation contradicts the village's reputation for being family-focused.
"Royal Palm has always been very family-friendly and children-first," she said. "That's why we have so many parks, but we're also not taking the children's safety seriously."
Officials Respond to Concerns
After attempts to get answers from the school and village proved frustrating, WPTV reached out to officials for comment.
The School District of Palm Beach County provided a statement emphasizing that student safety is its highest priority.
"With the first day of school approaching, we remind all drivers to allow extra time for their commutes, obey all traffic laws in and around school zones, and be extra cautious for student pedestrians, school buses, and increased traffic," the statement read in part. The district directed families with specific questions to its Transportation Call Center.
Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto told WPTV's Michael Hoffman that village staff "coordinates closely with our schools on traffic and safety before each school year" and said he has forwarded the questions to the village manager for a direct response. WPTV is awaiting that response.
As the school year approaches, Steel hopes her advocacy will lead to a change before an accident happens.
"If there was something that we could have done to prevent it and didn't, it would break our hearts," Steel said. "We're hoping that by reaching out to you guys, that it may get the right people involved and prevent a tragedy."
