As a recent Pinellas County school district relief school bus driver (I resigned on Sept. 17), I was horrified to drive up to the accident that mortally injured 16-year-old Rebecca McKinney on McMullen-Booth Road in Clearwater. A colleague of mine witnessed the schoolgirl struck by the Chevrolet S-10.
The bus driver who dropped off the students at the stop at San Bernadino Street did everything correctly. She was able to stop traffic heading north, but because the median was wider than 5 feet, she could not stop traffic in the southbound lanes.
I am not at all surprised this event occurred. The school district transportation department has an unwritten policy of having high school students fend for themselves. The district is far more concerned with the safety of elementary school students.
With that said, if an audit was done on any number of school bus routes, it would find numerous stops that would be considered treacherous. I personally had several stops where I felt apprehensive letting students off to cross six lanes of traffic, including ones with medians.
School bus drivers will request route/stop changes to improve safety and get denied by the routing department or management. Some drivers feel that they are not being heard. As a former bus driver, I feel that changes need to be made. Granted, the school district has the pressure of busing more high school students throughout the county (i.e. a Tarpon Springs student traveling to Lakewood High School), but its solution is to make the stops convenient to the line of travel and time, often at the cost of student safety.
Currently, I believe 3 percent of all bus stops would be considered hazardous. As Rebecca's grandfather, Marvin Gerhard, said, "Everybody knows (McMullen-Booth Road) is one of the most highly traveled roads in Pinellas County, and to have a school drop-off on the opposite side of the road is ridiculous. I think our school administrators and our transportation department need to wake up and smell the roses."
Please contact the School Board and ask for changes.
-- Karen L. Mullin, Dunedin
Crossing multiple lanes unacceptable
Re: Teen hit by truck dies at hospital, Oct. 11.
I am writing to express my extreme concern over the circumstances surrounding the death of Rebecca McKinney. I am so blown away by the fact that a child would be allowed to get off a bus and cross six lanes of traffic with vehicles traveling 50-70 mph. How can this be?
I am 46 years old and would not attempt to cross McMullen-Booth Road. If this is an ongoing event, I am amazed that there have not been many more fatalities of school-aged children.
I could rant and rave, as that is how I am feeling, but I just want to insist that someone fix this situation. There should be no time that a child should have to cross more than a two-lane road. Do whatever it takes! Please!
-- Tana L. Shepherd, Clearwater
Students shouldn't walk busy streets
I am writing in light of the recent bus stop tragedy in Clearwater. I live on 4th Street NE, where the speed limit is 55 mph and there is not one traffic light on this stretch of road - the same road that leads to the on-ramp of I-275.
This 55 mph road is where the school buses stop to pick up and drop off children and have them walk down 4th Street to their homes, many times on the side where there isn't a sidewalk.
I have written letters to the city of St. Petersburg and the Department of Transportation requesting a traffic light. I was told DOT does not feel there is enough traffic to support a light. Rush hour is crazy: kids, cars and a shopping plaza.
There are many kids living up here in this part of town. My son is dropped at a nearby road instead of safely being dropped at 112th Avenue, where he actually lives. I have watched elementary school children walking down 4th Street to 108th Avenue after being dropped at 112th. It just doesn't make any sense! These kids should not be walking down a street zoned for 55 mph traffic under any circumstances.
It is a serious situation and a disaster waiting to happen. As I sit and wait for my child I watch many buses stop, and I watch many cars ignore the stopped bus, going around the big yellow bus with the stop sign.
I am sad that one child's life had to be taken away because of the inability of the district to recognize the serious problems with bus stops.
-- Jilayne Waterhouse, St. Petersburg
Let's spend busing money on education
The untimely death of Rebecca McKinney serves as a reminder of the unnecessary loss of life and time arising from the consequences of Brown vs. Board of Education - the trigger to end racial discrimination in our nation's public school system. The prescription has had slight curative effect on public school segregation - attaining presumably equal public school quality. But the remedy of school busing to attain equality has had the tragic and shameful side effect of wasted hours in student transportation rather than providing actual educational instruction and wholesome recreation.
Would not the loss of actual educational hours better be supplanted by use of school busing funds to achieve racial equality by applying the untold billions spent since Brown to build and provide quality education in all neighborhood schools, regardless of race? Our bused children of all races are paying the penalty for the misdeeds of generations many decades ago. The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children.
-- Herbert L. Blume, Belleair
Car technology can't save children
After spending many years in the automotive industry, I recognize the need for warning signals in cars. Years ago these signals were referred to as "idiot lights" - little lights or words that appeared on the dashboard to indicate that your car needed oil, coolant or washer solvent, or that your battery was low or your parking brake was on.
Technology improved, and little chimes and voices were added to remind drivers that their door was ajar, their seat belts were left unbuckled or their lights were left on. Further advancements have allowed motorists to rely on computers to solve drivability problems while driving and to assist them in finding their way.
Unfortunately, modern technology has been unable to prevent idiots from leaving young children and pets in unattended parked cars, locked with the windows closed. This mental lapse and poor judgment knows no gender, cultural or professional boundaries. I hope that someday soon, automotive engineers figure out a warning system for humans and automobiles that would end this unnecessary loss of life.
-- Jeff Krieger, Dunedin
[Last modified October 17, 2004, 01:24:26]
