MOORESVILLE — A man reached out to RTV6 saying he was worried about students having to cross the street on Watson Road in Mooresville to board the bus. Especially since the speed limit is not posted near the bus stop and cars zoom by.
RTV6 sat down with the Mooresville Schools Transportation director to see what can be done to make the stop safer.
"I just felt like I needed to say something to somebody," Bob Davis said.
Davis lives at the top of a hill, near the bus stop. He watches kids cross the street to get on the school bus every morning and fears that with the bus stop at that location, cars won't be able to see over the hill, nor stop in time.
After three children lost their lives crossing the street to board their bus in Fulton County last fall, Davis decided to speak up.
"The whole impact of that devastation I think sits on a lot of people's minds," Davis said.
His concerns prompted the meeting on Tuesday. And now steps are being taken by the Mooresville Transportation Director.
"We are looking at number one: talking with the county to try and get some signage up, some speed limit signs would help as a starter," Mooresville Schools Transportation Director, Tim Smith, said. "And then possibly even a sign that would say a school bus stop ahead so that people are aware that there is a stop coming up."
Davis is grateful the district is prioritizing this matter. An issue lawmakers are prioritizing, as well.
A bill making its way through the statehouse right now, would not allow bus drivers - while on a U.S. state route - to drop off, or pick up students, at a location that requires them to cross the road. On a street or highway, other than a state route, they'd have to get as close to the right-hand curb, or edge of the road as practicable.
If it passes, the Watson Road stop would be impacted.
RTV6 reached out to dozens of other school districts in our area asking for their policy about when students are required to cross the street and where.
Avon Schools:
Avon does not required students to cross state highways.
Beech Grove City Schools:
Beech Grove City Schools does not allow any student to cross highways nor can any children cross any major roads in Beech Grove. We have reviewed all of our routes and have made it to were the majority of our children are all right side drop offs. If a child has to cross in front of the bus. The students have been taught to walk out from the bus 10 feet, then walk in front of the bus 10 feet, all to be out of the danger zone. The students then wait and looks at the driver. The driver looks in all mirrors and waits for all traffic to completely stop. The driver will signal the students to start to cross. The students know to come half way, stop again before crossing and look and then proceed across the rest of the roadway. Our drivers go over this with our students on a very regular basis, but we as a district try extremely hard to ensure all children are dropped off door side.
Brownsburg Schools:
Load and discharge students at points from which they need not cross main thoroughfares, crowns of hills, and obstructions to visibility in order to reach their homes.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools:
HSE Schools does not have a specific policy, however -- when working through the bus routing software we have, it sets up so that students are picked up door-side only on state highways or main roads (such as 116th and 126th). We then look at specific neighborhoods that have roads that could pose a safety concern and make those door-side pick-up as well.
Indianapolis Public Schools:
- Elementary School Students – We work our routes for drop-off on the right-hand side of the road closest to the curb.
- Middle School/High School – Our students are allowed to cross busy streets, but our routers do look at each circumstance and make judgments on a case by case basis.
- If a parent is concerned about their child’s drop-off location, they can bring that to the attention of our transportation department and we send someone out to investigate and decide whether the stop should be relocated.
Lebanon Community Schools:
We do not have a specific policy, but it is our practice that students do not cross a major road or thoroughfare when on- or off-loading. I can confirm that this is the case for all of our routes and bus riders. Students may cross the street when transportation picks them up on city blocks or in neighborhoods, but we avoid having them cross any major roadways as described in this bill. If this were to pass, we would not have to make any changes other than enacting a specific policy.
Noblesville Schools:
Our bus routes are already arranged to ensure kids do not have to cross any major highways/roadways.
MSD of Pike Township Schools:
We do not have any routes that involve dropping students off on highways or in locations where they would be required to cross busy roads.
Mt. Vernon School District:
We schedule routes to load and discharge students where they are not crossing main thoroughfares, crowns of hills or any visual obstructions. It is unfortunate that our bus drivers regularly see cars not abide by their extended stop arm. These offenders' license plates and car descriptions are reported to the police. Due to this frequent occurrence, we minimize students crossing roads; the safety of our students is Mt. Vernon School District's number one priority.
