Thunder Bay makes a move towards a safer drive to school for local kids.
City Council agreed on Monday for a report to come back in Sept. 2022 which would assess the feasibility of adding cameras to school bus stop arms. Current statistics reveal that there have already been over 200 violations since September, which is around eight a day. Most of these see drivers maneuver past a school bus despite it having its arm up.
The discussion was started by Westfort Councillor Kristen Oliver.
“Driving habits are certainly not getting any better in this community, I think most councillors can attest to that,” explains Coun. Oliver. “Over the past few years more school bus operators have been identifying and acknowledging that they are seeing more drivers blowing past their school buses when the stop arm is extended, so obviously it is becoming more of a concern.”
Coun. Oliver went on to mention she has also heard from a bus operator who has attempted to add a camera onto his stop arm by himself.
If Thunder Bay does add cameras to the stop arms, it would certainly take some pressure off the drivers. Currently, bus operators are forced to try and note violators license plates or vehicle descriptions and relay that information to police. Cameras would be more efficient, while at the same time taking this responsibility off the drivers.
It was noted that the long-period of time before receiving the Sept. 2022 report is a result of various factors, including the fact that buses are not owned by the municipality. This means to get this program running, it would require partnership with the private sector.