10 On Your Side returned to the neighborhood Tuesday, Dec. 3 to see if drivers were observing the new sign prohibiting a right hand turn during school hours. Click here to view the follow-up report.

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NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — For the past six years, Jodi Dobrinsky has been a loud voice for traffic correction in Norfolk’s Lafayette Shores neighborhood that many travel through to drop off and pick up their children from the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood school on Alsace Avenue.

She recently reached out to 10 On Your Side, requesting that we come see what she’s been complaining about since 2018. She said the only positive change that’s been made in that time is getting “no parking” signs put up.

While in the Dobrinsky’s neighborhood, which is adjacent to the school, WAVY’s Andy Fox received a copy of a video which caught Dobrinsky confronting a teen driver waiting to pick up his sisters from the school.

“You are cussing me,” Dobrinsky said on the video. “I live here. You are not supposed to park here.”

This is not a neighborhood-only school. Students from all over Norfolk come to Lakewood for project-based learning in grades 3 through 5 and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, or IB MYP, in grades 6 through 8. 

Buses can take the students home, but sometimes that trip can take up to an hour, so parents and guardians who have the means choose to pick up the children at school to save them time spent on a bus. 

“These parents use my court as their personal carpool line, so it is very frustrating,” Dobrinsky said.

The school day ends at 2:45 p.m., but our cameras captured the first vehicle showing up for pickup at 1:30 p.m. The early arrival parents WAVY spoke to said they enjoy the downtime to read, speak on the phone, or even sleep. As it gets closer to dismissal time, cars back up, spilling into the Lafayette Shores neighborhood and in front of Dobrinsky’s home.

“I would like them to respect the no parking signs and respect our driveways and respect not backing into mailboxes,” she said. “They need to be a little bit more courteous to the neighbors that line up in the neighborhood.”

Dobrinsky is not alone.

“A lot of people take advantage of this situation and try to find ways around that, and it backs up into this neighborhood,” said Marcia Clemons, who was waiting for her student. “I understand they are tired of it. I agree. I understand it.”

Although Dobrinsky got the city of Norfolk to put up no parking signs in front of her house, she pointed out it’s mostly useless without police enforcement.  

She confronted a driver who parked there despite the sign.

“You are not supposed to park here. You are sitting here, like using this as a f*** carpool line,” you hear Dobrinsky yell at the driver.

The driver responded, “Well I am picking up my sisters.” 

Dobrinsky responded, “I do not give a s*** that you’re picking up your sisters. Go wait in the carpool line.” 

The driver responded, “Why?” 

Dobrinsky again, “Because you are lazy, and you do not want her to walk.” 

WAVY showed Dobrinsky this video.

“Yes, yes, that is me, yes,” she said. “But I say, ‘Go wait in the carpool line with everybody else.'” 

She admitted it was not her finest moment.

“But it is a frustration [and] I will continue to ask parents to move their cars,” she said. “Maybe not so exuberantly, but I have asked them nicely to not park here and they ignore me.” 

It so happens Dobrinsky’s neighbor is vice chairwoman of the Norfolk School Board, Dr. Noëlle Gabriel, who did not return calls or emails from WAVY on this subject matter.

Andy Fox went to her home and found her husband, Jeff, who said this is a non-story. 

“Why are you guys even doing a story? It is a non-story. It is a ridiculous story,” he said before closing the door. 

As he was shutting the door, we reminded him that Gabriel is an elected public official, and we would appreciate a call back. Before we had finished the sentence, the door closed. We never got a return call from her. 

The school has a webpage and has sent emails this year reminding parents to “maintain a positive relationship with the surrounding communities of ADL.”

It has the following pick-up/drop-off etiquette posted:

• Refrain from blocking intersections and driveways
• Utilize the school pick-up/drop-off area instead of creating your own in the neighborhoods
• Maintain school zone speed limits and obey all No Parking signs
• Use appropriate language when interacting with staff members
• Elementary school students pick-up/drop-off to the right of the lane
• Middle school students pick-up/drop-off to the left of the lane

We read it to Dobrinsky. She responded that they block the driveways and intersections. She also said they fail to use the school drop-off area, instead creating their own area in the neighborhood.

10 On Your Side found lots of children walking to the cars in the Lafayette Shores neighborhood.

Many of these students are designated as walkers by their parents to walk through the neighborhood to Norway Place, where they get into their parent’s car.

One parent who did not want to be identified explained why her child walks to the neighborhood.

“I have a full-time job to get back to and waiting in the line at ADL for half an hour, I cannot do and still maintain my fulltime work,” the parent said. “Unfortunately, I have no other choice.”

Mary Kathryn Wood said she couldn’t understand why Dobrinsky is so upset.

“It is a school zone, and we are picking up children,” Wood said. “We are not a nuisance.” 

Dobrinsky would argue the neighborhood is not the school zone.

“Nobody can get down the street,” Dobrinsky said. “Deliveries can’t be made. [The] mailman will pass by if he cannot get through.” 

One viewer who asked to remain anonymous said the no stopping signs that are on Alsace Avenue are disregarded daily when school is in session. They were originally put on the street years ago when the school was known as Lafayette Winona Middle School.

The viewer said they are not able to leave their street on White Chapel Road for almost a hour due to the volume of vehicles in the neighborhood, with afterschool events making things worse and a number of driveways being blocked and cars parked on Alsace Avenue between White Chapel Road and Tidewater Drive, which the viewer said is a no parking zone. According to the viewer, that means drivers cannot get into the neighborhood off of Tidewater Drive because it forces drivers into oncoming traffic.

10 On Your Side went to Norfolk Public Schools Director of Safety and Security David Hughes.  

“I understand the concern,” he said. “I know everybody lives in a neighborhood.”

Hughes said plans are underway to change the light cycle at Tidewater Drive. 

“The cycle is going to allow more cars to be able to exit from Alsace Avenue than it has previously been able to,” he said.

To discourage school traffic coming into Dobrinsky’s neighborhood, a no right turn sign from Boyce Drive onto Elmore Place will be added. 

“This no right turn sign during those hours is going to increase and do away with the ability for cars to cut in line to pick up students,” Hughes said.

At 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, the same day as Andy’s report on the situation would air, ADL parents received a robocall from the school informing them this no right turn sign would be up and enforced beginning Tuesday.

Principal Romanda Hannigan said in a message that “I want to notify you of a new traffic sign that the city of Norfolk will be installing in the neighborhood. As of tomorrow, a no right-hand turn during school hours sign will be posted at the corner of Elmore Place and Boyce Drive. Parents accessing the parent-pickup loop from Alsace Avenue will not be impacted by this change.”

As for parents picking up students they designate as walkers, Hughes said, “I really don’t have a lot of control over that because this is a child that would walk to school.” 

Dobrinsky says she has a silent majority that agrees with her.

“I had neighbors come by the other day saying thank you,” Dobrinsky said. “Thank you for calling 10 On Your Side. Thank you for doing this for our neighborhood.”