BOWDEN - Town council wants to find a way to make the pickup zone in front of Bowden Grandview School safer for kids, after receiving complaints -- including one from an "irate citizen."
As a result, council has asked administrative staff to set up a meeting with school principal Jeff Thompson and Chinook's Edge School School Division transportation director Dieter Brandt.
Council passed a motion to that effect during its May 14 meeting.
Mayor Robb Stuart said the town had received "written complaints about the school buses parking too close to the crosswalks."
Acting chief administrative officer Jacqui Molyneux said the town had received a complaint from an "irate" citizen about children darting between school buses, etc.
"According to our traffic bylaw, you cannot park within five metres of a crosswalk. If you do that at a school, one of the buses has to wait till one of the buses pulls out (because) there's not enough room between the crosswalks for all the buses to park, unless you're almost sitting in the crosswalks," said Stuart, who drives a school bus in Olds.
Stuart said bus drivers are "worried about getting a ticket, because technically, our bylaw (officer) has no choice but to ticket them."
He suggested amending the town's bylaw so it would read that "a driver shall not stop or park any portion of a vehicle, except school buses, within five metres of a marked crosswalk."
He said that bylaw change could be made now, just to get past the end of the current school year. However, councillors decided they wanted to take more time to come up with a permanent solution if they could.
"I'd rather make an educated decision on this. Have more information; make the correct decision," Coun. Carol Pion said.
Stuart said because there are three crosswalks in the area, there currently isn't enough room for all buses to park by the school without encroaching on a crosswalk and thus, contravening the current bylaw.
Councillors agreed another part of the problem is that young students tend to run between buses to get where they want to go, thus causing a real risk of injury.
"They go between the buses whether the crosswalk's there or not," Stuart said.
"You've got the hood of the bus and you're right up to the thing and there's a little (guy) who's this tall, in Grade 1, you wouldn't see him," Coun. Wayne Milaney said.
Councillors also agreed another aspect of the problem is parents or guardians who also park too close to the crosswalks.
"They're not leaving room for the buses to get in because they're stupid and don't read the sign. You can't fix stupid," Coun. Sandy Gamble said.
Gamble suggested lowering the speed limit there might also improve safety.
"The school zone's already 30 (kilometres per hour)," Stuart said.
"Yeah, but maybe we should lower it more. Like at the park behind me I think it's 15. So that people have to drive a little slower, because some idiots don't watch for kids," Gamble said.
"The thing is how to enforce (it)," Stuart said.
"Yeah, that's true too," Gamble admitted.
"It sounds to me like it's a school issue. They should be organizing this better and coming up with a game plan," Coun. Randy Brown said.
"I totally agree. I think it's the school's responsibility. It's their buses," Milaney said.
Milaney suggested the problem of buses encroaching on the crosswalks could be solved by eliminating one of the area's crosswalks and allowing buses to park right along the street adjacent to the school; not just in front of the entrance.
"Move the whole thing a little bit to the west. Half a bus length is all you need," he said.
Milaney said signage could be changed letting kids know where to get their bus. He said if they have to walk several extra feet to get there, that shouldn't be an issue.
"Nearly every child who gets on a school bus walks way farther to get to that school bus than another 40 feet in front of the school."
