IRVINE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Getting kids out the door and onto the bus in the morning is tricky enough without an added layer of concern.
According to Jamie Marshall, her morning routine has become downright dangerous.
“To have twin three-year-olds that you're trying to put on a bus and have to worry about cars coming…it's nerve wracking,” said Marshall.
She takes her grandkids to the bus once it arrives outside her home on Richmond Road. Whether confusion over bus laws or complete disregard, she says drivers speed down the three-lane highway and pass the bus as it's stopped.
“It’s horrible to know that my grandchildren could be hit at any moment, that bus could be hit with all those children on it, or someone could hit someone and ram them into the children,” said Marshall. “It is disgusting, aggravating, and I feel defeated every day when I take those kids to that bus.”
Bus drivers and aides are just as frustrated as Marshall.
“They'll just fly down Richmond Road, they don't even slow down, zip zip zip zip zip, and we'll blow our horn and they'll flip us off,” said bus aide Janet Rose.
In Kentucky, almost 9,000 buses transport more than 385,000 students to school. By law, when school buses stop and activate their signal lights and stop arms, oncoming traffic must stop until the children have entered or exited the bus fully.
“There’s gonna be a bad accident. Whether it’s with a child or a car," said Rose.
Responding to the concern, Estill County school officials told LEX 18 that they hope to get stop arm cameras for their entire fleet. Currently, they have three.
The Estill County Sheriff’s Department is also responding. They’ve requested “School Bus Stop Ahead” signage for problem areas. They hope to receive the signs by the time kids head back to school after the holidays.
Until the promises pan out, Marshall will continue bringing attention to the issue.
“I’m not gonna stay quiet. Those are my grandkids and if I don’t speak for them, nobody’s going to.”
