Creating A Hazard

To the Editor:

At 7:35 this morning (Wednesday, 10/24) an All-Star school bus pulled to the side of the road just past my driveway. The car following closely behind the bus also stopped. A child exited the car, ran to the bus and got on. The car then turned around in my driveway and left. The bus remained a few minutes longer and moved on.

Unusual to say the least – this is not a regular school bus stop. What is most upsetting is that the bus had only yellow hazard flashers on — no right signal light, no flashing red stop lights, no stop sign activated.

Is this something new? How did the bus driver know to pull over...perhaps contacted via cellphone by parent? Can bus drivers us cellphones in transit?

I thought that was illegal for all of us.

Walnut Tree Hill is a narrow, very busy road and an All-Star school bus stopped in an unscheduled place, without proper signaling equipment certainly creates a hazard to other motorists and endangers the occupants of the bus. I think safety for all is more important than accommodating one kid who couldn’t get to his bus stop in time.

Betty Saunders Guarino

167 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Sandy Hook               October 24, 2012