On Tuesday, August 26, MCDOT and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) advise residents to allow additional time for travel and to be mindful of school buses and children making their way to and from school, as almost 160,000 kids will be attending 211 schools.
According to MCDOT, the county’s MCPD Central Traffic Unit will be concentrating on risky driving practices in the vicinity of school zones. In order to capture and punish vehicles who unlawfully pass stopped school buses, the Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit will install speed cameras in and near schools, as well as on all school buses.
In Maryland, when a school bus’s stop arm is extended and its lights are flashing, drivers are required to stop at least 20 feet away. Until the stop lights are removed and the bus is moving once more, drivers are not allowed to pass it from any direction. If a physical median, such as dirt, grass, or a barrier, separates the road, drivers are not obliged to halt. A $250 fine is imposed for each infraction caught on school bus cameras. When a police officer stops a violator, they risk three points on their driver’s license and a fine of up to $570.
The MCDOT Safe Routes to School program uses outreach, education, and the construction of safe infrastructure near schools to promote and facilitate kids’ safe walking and bicycling to school. Every County school is undergoing a walk audit by MCDOT. With 15 improvements finished last year, the initiatives include constructing safer traffic crossings and creating safer pedestrian paths. The studies fill in sidewalk gaps and offer suggestions for better crossings.
