Iteris Finds Back-to-School Traffic Delay Triples Near Schools, Raising Safety Concerns

Iteris helps transportation agencies improve safety and mobility for vulnerable road users while using traffic intelligence and physical AI to anticipate and manage school-related congestion

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iteris, Inc., the world’s trusted technology ecosystem for smart mobility infrastructure management and part of the Almaviva Group, today released new analysis and real-world use cases showing how transportation agencies can improve safety and mobility as students return to school and school-related traffic increases. School drop-offs alone can generate 20% to 30% of morning traffic, adding congestion to roadways already experiencing peak-period demand and creating greater safety challenges for students, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Earlier fall school starts, extended drop-off periods, and bus driver shortages exacerbate the problem. The analysis highlights how agencies can leverage traffic intelligence and signal expertise to better manage traffic around schools and keep people moving safely.

Helping school communities improve safety for vulnerable road users

At Rouse High School in Leander, Texas, Iteris worked with the City of Leander and Leander Independent School District to improve safety for students crossing a busy roadway. Iteris routinely works with the city to measure and improve key safety and mobility metrics through data analytics. The challenge here was coordinating crossing guards, pedestrians and traffic signals when guards needed to enter the roadway.

Iteris identified an underused feature in the existing traffic signal controller that allows for customized pedestrian timing. By modifying the controller programming, Iteris engineers and the city enabled trained crossing guards to activate an extended pedestrian interval by simply pressing and holding the pedestrian button for more than one second. At Rouse High School, this increased walk time from seven to 17 seconds and clearance time from 15 to 25 seconds, giving crossing guards more time to help students cross safely while working with the traffic signal rather than against it.

Identifying speeding near schools with traffic intelligence

Traffic safety concerns can also extend beyond the immediate school zone. Following several recent accidents, including one fatality, community discussion about roadway safety in San Antonio’s Stone Oak area reached a fever pitch. Iteris used ClearGuide^® traffic analytics to examine roadway segments along Hardy Oak Boulevard near Hardy Oak Elementary School and Lopez Middle School. The analysis identified recurring speeding activity that was not readily apparent from average traffic conditions alone, with vehicles traveling more than 10 mph above the posted speed limit across multiple segments and at various times of day.

The analysis also identified recurring spikes in speeding behavior, including periods when maximum speeding activity approached 100% of sampled vehicles exceeding the speed threshold. These findings demonstrate how traffic intelligence can help agencies identify potential safety concerns and determine where further evaluation or targeted interventions may be warranted.

Using traffic intelligence to anticipate back-to-school congestion

Beyond pedestrian safety and speeding, the return of students can also significantly change traffic conditions around individual intersections. Analysis based on Iteris ClearGuide^® data shows how quickly predictable changes in school-related traffic can create significant congestion, particularly when school traffic overlaps with peak-period commuter travel.

At the intersection of Scholar Way and Mustang Way near Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California, westbound intersection delay in 2025 reached 85 seconds at 9 a.m. during the month after Labor Day, compared with 46 seconds during July. Early data from the 2026 school year shows an even sharper increase, with westbound delay at 8 a.m. reaching 86 seconds on school days compared with 28 seconds in July, more than tripling the summer delay. The intersection also experienced a significant increase in split failures, which occur when vehicles must wait through more than one signal cycle before proceeding. At 8 a.m. on school days in 2026, the eastbound split-failure rate near Eleanor Roosevelt High School increased from 9% during the summer to a peak of 30%, meaning nearly one in three vehicles had to wait through more than one signal cycle to cross the intersection.

Iteris ClearGuide^® lets agencies compare congestion levels across two or more time periods and drill down into the specific days and hours relevant to school-related travel. By analyzing weekdays, excluding weekends and holidays, and using ClearGuide Time of Day reports, agencies can better understand where and when congestion is emerging and determine where targeted countermeasures may be needed around schools.

“Back-to-school traffic is highly predictable, but the resulting congestion can vary significantly from one intersection to another,” said Will Cousins, chief product officer at Iteris. “By comparing current conditions with historical patterns, transportation agencies can identify where traffic is changing, understand the severity of the impact and determine where action may be needed before congestion becomes a larger operational issue.”

Together, these examples demonstrate how transportation agencies are addressing the range of mobility and safety challenges that come with increased school-related travel. By combining traffic intelligence, signal expertise and a focus on vulnerable road users, Iteris helps agencies identify emerging challenges and take targeted action to keep students, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers moving safely.

For more information about Iteris, visit [https://www.iteris.com/].

About Iteris, Inc.

Iteris, Inc. is a leading provider of smart mobility infrastructure management solutions powered by physical AI and part of the Almaviva Group of businesses serving the transportation and logistics industry. Cloud-enabled solutions from Iteris help public transportation agencies, municipalities, commercial entities and other transportation infrastructure providers monitor, visualize, and optimize mobility infrastructure to make mobility safe, efficient, and sustainable. As a pioneer in intelligent transportation systems technology, Iteris’ advanced detection sensors, mobility and traffic data, software-as-a-service offerings, and consulting services represent a comprehensive range of mobility infrastructure management solutions that serve customers in North America and around the world.
For more information, visit Iteris’ website at www.iteris.com.

About Almaviva Group

Almaviva has been a leading group in the Italian Information & Communication Technology sector for over 40 years, leading the digital transformation and supporting innovation in both the private and public sectors. The Group operates through a global network of over 30 companies and 80 offices in Italy and abroad, with a strong presence in various countries, including the United States, Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic), Belgium, Spain, Finland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Tunisia. As of 2024, it employs over 40,000 people in Italy and worldwide and reports revenues exceeding $2 billion. Combining proprietary platforms and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud, and cybersecurity, the Group drives the evolution of end-to-end processes and systems in the market’s strategic sectors, including public administration, transportation, healthcare, finance, defense and security, environment, and water resource management. www.almaviva.it.

Iteris Media Contact
Olivia Farber
Tel: (949)542-9232
Email: Iiteris@teamlewis.com