Monday’s sitting of city council will include debate over a proposal to make it mandatory for motorists to stop when school busses pick up and drop off students.
Current legislation restricts bus drivers from utilizing swing-arm stop signs or red lights when stopping along the majority of Calgary’s roads.
Many Calgarians were surprised to learn of the rules following a tragic collision earlier this month in the northwest community of Kincora which sent a 12-year-old boy to hospital with serious injuries.
The Kincora pedestrian-vehicle collision has Ward 2 councillor Joe Magliocca asking for a revision of the current school bus bylaw.
“I think with the school bus, with the activation of the lights, the red lights and the arm, it would help out a lot of kids,” said Magliocca. “It will help a lot of people.”
While several councillors have expressed their support for a review of the school bus bylaw, a change to the rules is not expected to occur during the current school year. Voting on a review of the City of Calgary’s School and Playground Zone laws is scheduled for the fall of 2014 and some councillors expect school bus bylaw changes will be rolled into the vote.
With files from CTV's Kevin Green
