Chief’s Corner By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department I was recently asked a question about school busses. The person was traveling on Sutton Ave. in Oxford approaching the Route 395 South on ramp. This area has a four lane road with multiple homes and businesses. A school bus, traveling in the opposite direction, stopped and activated its flashing red lights to drop off students. The person wondered what the proper procedure is in this situation when there is a four lane road. School bus regulations are covered in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90 Section 14. Any time a school bus is stopped with its flashing red lights activated, vehicles have the obligation to stop. This pertains to all vehicles, and trackless trolleys for that matter, with only limited exceptions. Vehicles traveling on the opposite side of a divided highway are not required to stop and vehicles may proceed under the direction of a police officer who is duly authorized to control the movement of traffic. The area in question here is not a “divided highway.” Massachusetts Regulations, 720 CMR 9.01, defines a divided highway as “a highway with separated roadways for traffic in opposite directions.” Unless there is some form of “barrier” separating the travel lanes, then this exemption would not apply. This can be an island, guard rails, concrete barriers, or other fixed devices which clearly separate the two directions. Any area without these dividers is considered a conventional roadway, despite the number of lanes on the road. Fines and penalties for school bus violations are rather costly. They include suspension of your license and fines which can range up to two thousand dollars. The main reason for these rules is the safety of young people. Some children may ignore traffic and cross the street without looking. It is important to pay particular attention to these situations while driving to prevent accidents and injuries. I wish to take a moment to congratulate and thank everyone who participated in the first “Run for the Beach” held on Saturday, May 10th. Many runners, walkers, and volunteers were on hand to help raise money for the operation of the Town Beach this summer. I also thank the residents of the Mason Road area for their patience, cooperation, and assistance with the detours and the large volume of pedestrian traffic. A great deal of money was raised to assist with such things as lifeguards and maintenance, which is desperately needed in these difficult financial times. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen.
Posted on: Mon, 12 May 2014 12:33:40 +0000
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