FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Franklin County school bus drivers and law enforcement are preparing for the new school year with safety training and increased patrols to protect students on the road.
School starts August 12. Brad McKinney, director of transportation, said drivers have been completing safety training ahead of the first day.
"Some of the safety training we have been out doing test routes and also checking the drivers for their skills and their skill knowledge and if anything they need to work on," McKinney said.
The Franklin County Transportation Department operates 64 bus routes, transports about 4,800 students a day and covers 3,500 to 3,600 miles daily.
Before letting any student off the bus, all bus drivers in Franklin County are required to check their mirrors multiple times. If a car is not stopping, drivers cannot open the door to let a student out.
Kentucky House Bill 7 states that on a four-lane road with a raised median or dip, drivers traveling in the opposite direction do not have to stop for a school bus. Without that separation, drivers in both directions are expected to stop when the bus's stop arm is out.
Franklin County Sheriff Dwayne Depp said deputies will be monitoring bus routes to enforce the law.
"There's going to be from time to time when we're going to have deputies out sitting at some of the bus routes. I know last year we actually followed buses after we got numerous complaints about people not stopping when the stop arm comes out," Depp said.
McKinney said stop arm violations are a daily concern.
"Normally on a typical day we have anywhere from 13 to 15 stop arm violations a day that is reported to my office, and you know that's 13 to 15 chances that someone took and and risked endangering a child's life," McKinney said.
Depp said roads like Louisville and Versailles Road present particular challenges and that visibility is key to keeping students safe.
"We ensure their safety by just making sure that we're out, we're enforcing the laws, we're visible, that people see us and they know that we're looking for these types of violations," Depp said. "We all know that kids are our future. Safety is very, very important to us, and it should be important to our motoring public."
These are the roads with a median in Franklin County (opposite direction stop not required):
- U.S. 127 South from county line to Wilkinson Blvd.
- Wilkinson Blvd. to Versailles Road
- East-West Connector
- Leestown Road from East-West Connector to 1349B Leestown Road
- East Main Street from CHR Front Entrance to 402 East Main
- Park Avenue (Carter House) to Georgetown Road
- Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
There are the roads without a median (stop required for ALL lanes):
- Versailles Road
- Leestown Road from 1349B to Village Drive
- East Main Street from Capital Avenue to CHR Building Entrance
- 402 East Main Street to Beechwood Avenue
- East Main Street to Park Avenue (Carter House)
- Georgetown Road to Foxley Lake (back entrance to Two Creeks)
- Louisville Road (U.S. 60) from Tanglewood Drive to county line
Molly Demrow is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Molly at molly.demrow@wlex.tv
