As students in the Ohio Valley return to classrooms this month, school administrators and transportation directors are focusing on keeping students safe while traveling on school buses.
However, that task has become more complicated recently, with heavy truck traffic and the failure of motorists to obey bus signals increasing during the past year.
While administrators have found solutions to some of the issues, others can only be dealt with through bus drivers paying extra attention to their surroundings.
Article Photos
Photo by Scott McCloskey
Dave Iverson, an Ohio County Schools Transportation Center employee, sweeps out the back of a school bus after making a few seat repairs.
In Marshall County, Assistant Superintendent Wayne Simms said while the start of the school year - which began in early August in Cameron as part of a modified school calendar - has gone smoothly in the classroom, traffic concerns that arose last year are still prevalent.
"Because of prior experience, we continue to be concerned about trucks in and around the county, particularly in the Cameron area," he said.
That prior experience includes two incidents last school year in which buses were struck by trucks traveling to and from Marcellus Shale gas drilling rigs. Simms said roads in Cameron are already narrow, and having enough room for busses and large trailers to pass each other is often difficult.
"Already this year, we've had a few mirrors knocked off of busses," he said, adding when an incident like that happens, there is very little a driver can do.
"When there is a load of children and a truck goes by and clips the mirror, the driver has to keep his eyes on the road, and he can't just turn the bus around and follow the truck to get information."
Simms said though companies like Chesapeake have agreed to keep truck traffic off of county roads while busses are making their commutes, other companies continue to travel during peak school hours. Additionally, he said bus drivers often don't know when a large load is being transported through the area, though that issue has been partially addressed via CB radios provided by Chesapeake to allow bus and truck drivers to communicate.
"We put a lot of planning into our transportation before we start running, but some things just can't be predicted," Simms said.
In Ohio County, Transportation Director Gary Kestner said after an incident in the Dallas area last year when a truck collided with a bus, more focus has been placed on rural roads in the county. He said he met with representatives from various gas drilling companies, and Chesapeake not only purchased the radios but also offered to provide lead vehicles for busses in areas with heavy truck traffic.
"They extended the offer to meet our busses at the bottom of (rural roads) and take them along the route to ensure the safety of the kids," he said, adding copies of the bus schedule and routes have been provided to companies working in the county.
While truck traffic is an increasing concern, Kestner said of more importance is motorists ignoring the stop signs and flashing lights displayed when busses stop to let students off. The district decided to take matters into its own hands and purchase cameras for the outside of the busses, as well as dashboard cameras that show the stop sign extended and the license plate of a vehicle that passes illegally.
"The cameras ensure to us and the prosecutor's office that the sign and lights were activated," Kestner said.
Thus far, only one instance has been sent to the prosecutor's office for review, though Kestner said the goal is not to issue citations to people.
"We don't want to give people tickets, but we do want them to pay attention," he said. "Busses are 40 feet long and yellow with more lights than a Christmas tree, so the excuse that they can't see us doesn't work."
Other Ohio Valley districts are following Ohio County's lead, including the Bridgeport Exempted School District. During a recent board of education meeting, Bridgeport High School Principal Rob Zitzelberger said drivers have been forced to park diagonally in front of the building so that motorists don't drive past during loading and unloading.
By using extra cameras the district already owns, several busses will be equipped with the same technology as Ohio County to ensure motorists are obeying the law, Transportation Supervisor Ed Minor said. He added recordings of offenders would be turned over to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for review.