CARMEL, Ind. -- A Carmel mother is fed up with drivers blowing through stop signs near a bus stop, and so she’s taking matters into her own hands.
Kelly Miller uses her cell phone to make videos of the bus stop at 98th and Lakeshore Drive East in Carmel.
She drops off her son Devyn, 12, and is afraid for his safety as well as the well-being of other children.
The videos capture drivers failing to stop for stop signs and turning right in front of school buses loading children.
The videos, taken around 7 am, also show how dark it is at that hour and how difficult it is to see the children.
“One of these days, a kid is going to get hit,” said Miller. “That’s my biggest fear. It’s so dark in the morning and people are in such a hurry.”
Miller said many people cut through her neighborhood to avoid the busy 96th and Keystone intersection.
Miller has shared her videos on social media, as well with the mayor’s office and Carmel Police.
“I took the videos when the police aren’t here to show what’s going on when they’re not here,” said Miller. “We’re not making this up.”
Lt. Joe Bickel of Carmel Police said officers have conducted 25 patrols and 61 traffic stops near the 98th Street/Lakeshore Drive area so far in 2016, and they’ve issued 32 citations and 38 warnings.
“We also spoke with the Carmel Clay School System Transportation Department and suggested a slight alteration to the bus stop location,” said Bickel. “They agreed to the change and began picking up all of the children at each separate stop location on 98th Street rather than on Lakeshore Dr, essentially taking the possibility of a stop arm violation out of the equation. However, it seems as if they are back to the same pick up location on Lakeshore Drive East.”
Bickel said officers have never observed a school bus “stop arm” violation while patrolling the area.
“We will continue to monitor this location whenever possible,” said Bickel. “We plan on again making contact with the school transportation department and explaining the situation.”
There are about 3,000 bus stops and 2,300 stop signs in Carmel.
Kelly Miller said the city needs to look at other options, such as speed bumps or closing one of the access points to the neighborhood.
No matter where you live, she has a message for you.
“Take 30 seconds and don’t be impatient and just wait to make sure all the kids are safely on the bus,” said Miller. “It’s really not that big of a deal to wait an extra 30 seconds.”
Tammy Sander, a spokesperson for Carmel Clay Schools, said they have not received any complaints but look forward to working with Carmel Police on improving the bus stop situation for children.
