The local bus company that serves Centretown’s elementary schools is backing a bid by Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais urging the Ontario government to make it mandatory to install cameras on all school bus stop signs in Ontario.
All school buses in Ontario are equipped with flashing stop signs that extend out when children get on and off the bus.
By law, Ontario drivers are required to stop and wait whenever they see this happening.
Kathleen Both, owner of M.L. Bradley Buses, approached Blais after the issue came to her attention.
Both’s school buses would stop to let kids off, their mandatory flashing stop signs would deploy, but drivers were still driving past them.
“It is a daily issue, an epidemic,” Both says.
Since then, Blais has brought the issue before city council and been working on spreading awareness and catching those who run school bus stop signs.
“I think everyone realizes that children are among the most vulnerable members of society, and they require protection from adults,” Blais says. “When they are boarding or getting off the school bus, they should not have to worry about their lives being at risk.”
Blais has written to Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray and has been in contact with several Ottawa-area MPPs, including Ottawa Centre’s Yasir Naqvi.
The councillor is proposing cameras similar to those on red lights in Ontario.
Cameras would capture drivers ignoring the stop signs and then send the offender a ticket through the mail.
The cameraswould cost roughly $2,500 and be financed by the school board.
Currently, fines for failing to stop for a school bus stop sign range from $400 to $2,000. However, Blais says believes that most offences go unpunished.
“The challenge is that police aren’t even close to being around every school bus,” he says.
“It’s physically not possible, so there needs to be further protection.”
During a two-day traffic blitz in January, Ottawa police distributed 211 tickets for school-zone traffic violations. This included people running school bus stop signs.
Blais has also made it clear that if the Ontario government is not ready to move on the issue, the city should do so on its own.
“If the province doesn’t want to take the necessary steps, the City of Ottawa will move forward with its own pilot project,” Blais says.
Blais says camera’s on Ottawa school buses would be used in conjunction with a report filed by the school bus driver with police.