Pilot project nabs almost 100 drivers who failed to stop for school buses
Posted Sep 26, 2016 08:02:37 AM.
Last Updated Sep 26, 2016 11:00:55 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A private firm has released data collected from cameras that have been equipped to local school buses.
The footage shows that 97 drivers failed to stop over a period of 23 days.
General Manager of the Students Transportation Services of Waterloo Region, Benoit Bourgault tells us, what he saw in some of the footage.
“In one case, the student has time to get out of the bus, walk in front of the bus and is in the first lane left of the bus and the car comes in and stops even with the bus and not behind the stop sign arm.”
The pilot project took place across the province between May 24th to June 30th.
These findings are part of a safety campaign to mount cameras on all local school buses that would cost around $6 million dollars over five years.
Cameras were put on 10 school buses across Ontario, six of them right here in Waterloo Region.
“We have six buses that have cameras installed on buses today,” says Bourgault, “they are turned off. The region could decide to trial it with enforcement.”
Elliott, Sharp Bus, and Stock buses were all equipped with cameras. Two were installed on buses in Mississauga, two in Brantford and Simcoe Area, one in Sudbury and one in North Bay.
In a report that will be presented at a school board meeting Monday night, two thirds of the violations recorded happened on one particular route through the Preston and Galt areas of Cambridge.
Other buses recorded data on routes in Kitchener, Waterloo and North Dumfries.
Regional Council will take a look at these numbers and consider the issue later this year.
Bourgault adds it’s up the region what to do next with the data that was collected.
“Enforcement is a deterrent for people to break the law,” says Bourgault, “this is one tool that’s available to the region and it’s up to them to decide on how to improve the safety of the students.”
This test project is to ensure the safety of children who require to take school buses every single day.
Failing to stop at a school bus when the arms are out and red lights flashing comes with a heavy fine of $490 if ticketed and convicted.
No tickets were issued during this pilot project. You can read the report right here.
