BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Some leaders in childcare are counting down the minutes until October 1, when the City of Buffalo starts collecting fines from drivers who pass stopped school buses.
- Over the summer, Buffalo Public School leaders launched the program
- According to the state's Traffic Safety Committee, roughly 50,000 vehicles illegally pass school buses every day in NYS
- There's a 90-day warning period from July 1-September 30 where offenders will be notified, not ticketed
"I hope it helps," said Latrice Martin, Director of Kidz Zone Child Care Center. "Unfortunately I kind of doubt that it will for us, but maybe if they get ticketed enough on Main Street, they'll stop."
7 News covered the announcement of the program in June, watch below.
Martin says she's felt some relief since city workers put this sign in front of her building, but still sees cars pass stopped buses.
"The traffic never stops, a lot of buses are holding their horns because cars are flying through in the morning and in the afternoon," said Martin.
The gif below shows cars passing a bus outside of Kidz Zone during pick-up on September 24.
These cameras are on every bus in Buffalo, focusing on keeping children safe, not collecting money from fines, per a representative from Bus Patrol, the company that makes the cameras.
"In other parts of New York, we've seen driver behavior change where year over year there's a 5, 8, 10% decrease in ticket activity," said Ryan Monell, Senior Vice President of Government Operations for Bus Patrol.
He says to be aware no matter which direction you're coming from to stop and do not pass the bus.
"We have to do better as grown-ups, we have a destination, I get we have to go to work, we have to get our kids to school. But also, we have to do everything safely," said Martin.
The fine is $250 and increases by $25 for each repeated offense.
