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buslady-582
Advanced Member
USA
334 Posts |
 Posted - 02/19/2005 : 06:57:02 AM
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Some of our drivers are constantly ragging on various crossing guards. They seem to think that the bus should ALWAYS have priority when trying to leave or enter school.
The crossing guards have it rough also. Atleast in our buses we have the children contained and protected. On the street they are at the mercy of every vehicle.
Crossing guards cross children in front of school buses because they figure it's their safest bet. They are not intentionally trying to delay us. I love my crossing guards, we have mutual respect for each other (even the same ones others complain about!) I always stop way back and turn on my flashers. The same for students darting across when parents drop them off. I would rather they would cross in front me where I know they will be safe.
Do any of you have crossing guard issues? |
Edited by - buslady-582 on 02/19/2005 07:54:48 AM
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CountGirl
Top Member
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2005 : 08:32:17 AM
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I used to be a crossing guard in 5th grade. I had one partner and we were out of sight of the school but no buses came through. My crossing guard days were awesome...they don't allow that anymore though for safety reasons.
As far as the bus goes, I can't agree with you more - when I did my spanish speech one of the lines in there was "The school bus is doing you a favor - it may go slow but it's getting everybody in one spot - and one spot means you won't have one dance out in front of you and [become the unspeakable]." That was the part about don't pass a set of flashing lights.
Does this offer you any comfort? And you are right - let the kids cross in front of you where you know they will be safe. Unlike a car driver, you are expecting those kids, you know how to count those kids and you know how to check your mirrors.
Put them in front of the bus, not the car.
Countgirl
P.S. One time I was riding the bus and we had a cross street for our dropoff, and we always watched that cross street like hawks, the driver and me, and one day this bus comes up and she stops, applies her parking brake, triggers her lights, opens her doors, sends out her stop sign, and eight kids waggle the way home protected by T64 and T64's friend. |
Give me a yellow object. Yes. Right now. I need my yellow chocolate, for goodness sake! |
Edited by - CountGirl on 02/19/2005 08:36:27 AM |
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buslady-582
Advanced Member
USA
334 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2005 : 3:10:29 PM
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| sbsbd, Our crossing guards are paid adults also, and they are only at busy corners.I REALLY like your idea about walking students waiting until the buses have departed. It's like driving thru a school of fish trying to get out of the school zone here. |
Bus Nut
see my " Buster" #582
1994 BB TC2000 http://home.new.rr.com/buslady582/mybus.JPG
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Edited by - buslady-582 on 02/19/2005 3:10:58 PM |
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mlkdrives41
Top Member
USA
2055 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2005 : 04:25:18 AM
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| buslady what an apt discription of what we face every afternoon. There is a hill coming out of our school complex so not only are they in the road, they are running headlong down the hill. It is a wonder no one has gotten killed, especially considering how the high schoolers drive! Recently we have gotten people for traffic control and I think they have made a definite difference in the safety of the whole mess although some discount the impact they have had. More than once I have seen a car try to take them down when the driver felt they were being made to wait too long (usually more than ten seconds!) The walkers should wait till all the buses have left! |
Nothing great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm! |
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YardBird
Advanced Member
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 08:08:41 AM
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Pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way. Period.
Here in CT it is the law. The guard is just there to visibly enforce that law. Everywhere it's not law-it should just be common sense. |
Sure! I'll pick your kid up closer to the house... Widen your front door!
"I LOOOOOVE MY UNION!" |
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coolbusdriver
Top Member
Canada
1509 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 08:18:51 AM
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| right of way in a cross walk for pedestrians is the law here too. The problem at the high schools here is that the kids seem to have no concept of what a cross walk is for. They cross the street in mass where ever they please and rarely look to see if anything is coming first. They are all over the bus stop area seemingly unaware that there is a sidewalk for them to walk on. They walk between cars waiting at the stop sign. Parents are no better, they pull up beside the buses and let the kids off to walk between the buses to get to the school. This is very dangerous in the morning when buses are coming and going reg. It is truley amazing that no one has been killed yet. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 09:05:33 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by buslady-582
Some of our drivers are constantly ragging on various crossing guards. They seem to think that the bus should ALWAYS have priority when trying to leave or enter school.
Every Vehicle THINKS they should have the right of way or some priority that makes them special. School buses must be the most courteous on the roads - and drivers need to act like school bus drivers transporting children, not truckers transporting cargo. At the beginning of the school year I watch bus driver after bus driver drive slow while establishing their times, then as they get used to the route speeding becomes the problem, getting back earlier yet they don't turn in less time to payroll. I would think the TD should check times and drivers showing up ahead of schedule because of this 'hurry' mentality should perhaps be threatened with payroll time reductions.
Another issue that shows up is having to deal with subs that drive my route TOO FAST, then brag about completing the route faster than the permanent driver. My route is set up to be timely, on schedule with the parents - they can set their clock by the bus - when a sub drives the schedule too often seems ignored and kids are dropped too early upsetting some parents that also keep to a schedule. I've watched more than one bus leave the school early only to return to pick-up kids that expected the bus to stick to a schedule.
What these hurry-up and speeding attitudes demonstrate are truckers driving school buses, not bus drivers behind the wheel. And I think that it is too often as much encouraged by the employer as it is by some bus drivers encouraging each other. Hit em' where it hurts - dock their time! (jk)
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Sherm
Top Member
USA
621 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2005 : 10:21:52 AM
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| Good point about the time schedule, JK. We seem to have conflicts with the school bell systems from time to time, too (eg.: driver time is 2:20, school clock time is 2:17.) Parent calls seem to increase when the clocks are set back or forward, too. I try to minimize disruption by setting the timeclock to the Atomic Clock (via the web) and then the drivers can set their time piece to the time clock. Then, as we check route time periodically, everyone SHOULD be on an even playing field. Our city-employed crossing guards work well with the bus drivers to keep students safe. Thankfully that is not an issue here. |
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Crossing guard logic
