Bus safety, traffic issues addressed
By Kathy Thomson
The school year is underway and with it comes a daily commute by hundreds of children to and from the local campuses by school bus, car, bicycle, and on foot.
Drivers should be aware of the increased risk of injury or death to the community’s most precious resources that result from speeding or distracted driving, especially when combined with students who may forget to watch for oncoming traffic.
“The moment when a student is entering or exiting the bus can be one of the most dangerous times of a child’s trip on the school bus,” said Texas Department of Public Safety safety education and media officer Sergeant Trooper Fred Biddle.
Although the first few days of classes at both Albany school campuses went very smoothly, school authorities want to put more community focus on school transportation safety.
Flashing Lights
Motorists need to be aware that buses do consistently stop on Main Street, although they try to avoid having any children actually cross the street. Not all buses have the stop signs that come up from the sides, but they do all have flashing lights.
“It is illegal to pass a school bus that is stopped and operating a visual signal – either flashing red lights or a stop sign – and those who violate the law could face fines of up to $1,250,” Biddle said. “A driver – traveling in either direction on a roadway – must stop when approaching a bus that is stopped and operating a visual signal.”
If the bus lights are flashing yellow, other drivers need to slow. If lights are red, they need to stop, regardless of which lane they are in or whether they’re behind the bus or meeting it from the other direction.
“If a road is divided only by a left-turning lane, drivers on both sides of the roadway must stop with alternating red flashing lights activated,” Biddle said.
This rule applies to all roads that do not have driving medians or barriers. Turning lanes are not considered to be medians, and the rule applies no matter how many lanes the road has.
Texas law also states that the vehicles must remain stopped until at least one or more of the following things have occurred:
•The school bus resumes motion.
•The school bus driver signals other drivers that they may proceed.
•The visual signal used by the bus (usually blinking lights) is turned off.
Texas DPS director Steven McCraw cautioned Texans to slow down in school zones, and to be aware of children walking to and from school or waiting for buses.
“Motorists who disregard the law and illegally pass stopped school buses put our schoolchildren in harm’s way – and that reckless and irresponsible behavior will not be tolerated by DPS,” said McCraw. “Drivers who illegally pass school buses face fines up to $1,250 for the first offense, and for individuals convicted of this offense more than once, the law allows the individual’s driver license to be suspended.”
Other Cautions
Texting, as well as reading or writing email, is prohibited while driving on any public road in Texas.
Talking on cell phones is also prohibited in all active school zones.
If you must make a phone call or send a text, pull over and stop first, advised Albany police chief Mike House.
Violators face fines of $200 to $500, he added.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), one in five crashes involves driver distraction, and drivers who use cell phones in their vehicles have a higher risk of collision than drivers who don’t, whether holding the phone or using a hands-free device.
Traffic fines are doubled in school zones, and tickets for speeding can be as much as $1,000, said House.
“Drivers need to be aware of the school zones and cross walks because there are a lot of children in those areas,” the police chief added.
The school zone on Highway 180 in Albany is active during student commuting hours and has flashing yellow lights to remind drivers to slow down and stay off the phone; however, local drivers also need to remember that many streets near the elementary school and the secondary campus are marked with 24/7 school zones, whether the Albany ISD classes are in session or not.
Concerns at NSES
Parents and other designated drivers who drop off and pick up students at NSES are reminded about proper use of the circle drive in front of the building.
•Cell phones are not to be used in the school zone, including the circle drive.
•Smoking is not allowed on campus, including in cars in the circle drive.
•Do not park in the loading and unloading zones.
•Drive slowly in the circle drive.
•Do not pass any car within the loading and unloading zone in the circle drive.
•For dismissal: Pull forward to the next available loading zone area. Your child will be sent to your car. Do not get out of your car inside the loading zones.
•Students should not be allowed to get in or out of any vehicle unless it’s in the right lane.
•Ideally, drivers in the circle drive work in four or five car groupings, with the first car pulling up in the right hand lane past the columns in order to allow enough room for students to disembark from several vehicles at the same time.
•The parking lot north of the campus is reserved for teachers before school and afterwards.
•Students riding bikes to school need to step off of the bike once on campus property, and walk the bike to the rack stationed to the right of the front doors.
•Students at NSES can be dropped off in the circle drive, in front of the school, or after a certain time, in the bus lane.
Use of the Bus Lane
The bus lane can be used by parents to drop off students starting at 7:30 a.m., after the school buses have unloaded.
This lane is only for drop-offs and should not be used for parking, nor to pick up children at the end of the day.
Day-to-day Changes
Parents or caregivers should inform their children of any changes in dismissal proceedings prior to them leaving home each morning.
Administrative assistant Stephanie Gleitz said that homeroom teachers should be apprised of transportation choices for each student, including day-to-day changes, especially for the younger children.
“Their homeroom teacher needs to be notified,” Gleitz said. “And we prefer that they notify the homeroom teacher in writing.”
Parents are asked to refrain from calling the NSES office to change their child’s mode of transportation.
“A note should be sent with the child that morning,” explained AISD superintendent Jonathan Scott. “Calling the office presents a hardship for the secretaries, and there are often so many calls that messages are not able to be delivered in a timely manner. Please reserve telephone calls for emergency dismissal situations only.”
For more information, call the NSES office at 325-762-3384.
Secondary Safety
At the secondary campus, parents and others who pick up and drop off students should observe the traditional rules concerning the circle drive, according to principal Edward Morales.
“Parents can drop off and pick up their children in the circle drive in the morning and afternoon, but they need to be sure to be observe buses that are picking up and dropping off students,” said Morales. “In the afternoon, parents should not use the circle drive until after all the buses have left the area. Instead they can use one of the parking lot areas by the band hall, the activities building, or in front of the circle drive.”
•Students may also be dropped off at the gym or band hall parking lots.
•Do not go past the band hall to drop students off in the cafeteria parking lot. Students are not allowed behind the school during that time.
•Administrators ask that no cars pull into the circle drive from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. This gives the buses full access to the drive.
