Arguments by the general manager of Mountain Transit Inc. of Milton, John Sharrow, to allow school buses to idle longer were unconvincing to lawmakers. A law passed in 2007 that bans school buses from idling on school grounds was initiated by Browns River Middle School students in Jericho. The students pushed the point that idling creates an unhealthy environment. The rules that govern the bus drivers say that a bus may not idle on school grounds for more than 5 minutes in a 60 minute time period. Sharrow's main argument was that, under these rules, bus cabins cannot warm up and that no consideration is being given to the driver and individuals in the bus. [Source:Burlington Free Press]
An Idling Law Set in Stone?
Arguments by the general manager of Mountain Transit Inc. of Milton, John Sharrow, to allow school buses to idle longer were unconvincing to lawmakers. A law passed in 2007 that bans school buses from idling on school grounds was initiated by Browns River Middle School students in Jericho. The students pushed the point that idling creates an unhealthy environment. The rules that govern the bus drivers say that a bus may not idle on school grounds for more than 5 minutes in a 60 minute time period. Sharrow's main argument was that, under these rules, bus cabins cannot warm up and that no consideration is being given to the driver and individuals in the bus. [Source:Burlington Free Press]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
As a bus driver myself....I feel that the lawmakers need to walk (or drive) a mile in our shoes. If you do not have an adequately pre-heated vehicle during winter conditions in Vermont; as the students board the bus with wet hair and warm bodies from showering in the morning, the windows will immediately fog up, thereby creating a hazard not only for the driver, but for all passengers on the bus, and other motorists on our roadways. Also, in the afternoon as the children come from sporting events, phys ed, or just playing around and becoming overheated, the same thing can, and does, happen.
I find it ironic, that more consideration is given to the health and safety of the barmaids and barkeeps of Chittenden County, with regard to smoking, than is given to the drivers of our community's most precious cargo.
Furthermore, I am still waiting to receive my afghan from Representative Milkey....
David
Post a Comment