X marks the school bus stop
Olinto Parenti says its safer to move school bus stops from intersections.
Can you explain why children wait for their school bus at intersections and not in the middle of a block? I’ve been a member of my local fire department for more than 40 years and have responded to numerous automobile accidents, almost 99 percent of which occurred at intersections.
There are guidelines the school district’s Board of Education applies when mapping bus routes.
One rule is that bus stops be located a minimum of 100 feet before or after an intersection - not at the intersection itself.
“The problem is kids tend to inch toward the corner over the course of the school year,” said Shari Bardash-Eivers, Board of Education president for the Farmingdale School District. “Many times, bus stops are placed near an intersection if a street has a lot of parked cars, so the bus can pull closer to the curb. Also, if it’s a busy street, we don’t want kids walking far just to get away from an intersection.”
This school year, the Farmingdale district has 1,049 “corner bus stops” located at least 100 feet from an intersection, compared to 413 mid-block stops. This past fall, the district received 37 requests for stop location changes, compared to 58 in 2006.
In most cases, parents want bus stops moved to their driveway, which the district is happy to do if it means another student doesn’t have to walk much further as a result.
“We take each request for a bus stop change seriously,” said Barbara J. Horsley, the assistant superintendent. “If it improves safety, we’ll do it.”
Long Islanders interested in requesting a bus stop location change should contact their school district’s Board of Education or transportation department. If the request is refused, residents can appeal to the state Department of Education. Instructions are available online.
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