In advance of National Walk to School Day on Oct. 3, the Hartford Courant is of the opinion that there are too many school bus stops and the high number is fiscally imprudent. Do you agree or disagree?
The Courant editorial states, “To walk a block or two to a combined neighborhood bus stop was routine a generation or so ago. Now, in many districts, school buses stop at virtually every street. This means longer bus rides, more fuel consumption, added pollution and disruption of traffic.”
That’s a point that is reinforced every time a driver gets trapped behind a school bus as it makes frequent stops along a residential street. School kids sure don’t seem to walk very far to catch their bus.
The Courant predicts the outcry against combing stops. “Loud protests against such an idea can be guaranteed, and in almost every case, the adults’ buzzword would be ‘safety.’ Of course, the safety of children must be paramount, but in neighborhoods where there is relatively little traffic and there are sidewalks everywhere, it’s hard to see how walking an extra block would be unsafe.”
Read the entire Courant editorial on school bus stops.
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