On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, around 8:45 a.m., officers from the Road Safety Bureau conducted a RIDE spot check investigation on the driver of a school bus, on Leslie Street at Wellington Street East, for the presence of alcohol. The male driver was given a roadside screening demand. The driver failed the screening and was placed under arrest. He was transported to #1 District Headquarters for a breath test.

The 61-year-old male has been charged with Over 80, his licence has been suspended and the school bus has been impounded for seven days.  There were no occupants on the bus at the time of the investigation.

Our officers will continue to be out conducting commercial vehicle investigations and RIDE spot checks to ensure the safety of all road users. We remind those who choose to drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol that not only are police officers watching for them, our citizens also refuse to tolerate this behavior. Anyone choosing to put others at risk by driving while impaired should expect to be caught and charged.

If you see dangerous driving or behaviors on the road that could jeopardize the safety of motorists and pedestrians, you are encouraged to call 9-1-1.

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In accordance with the Highway Traffic Act, motorists encountering a stopped school bus that has its overhead red signal-lights flashing (the stop arm does not need to be extended), shall stop before reaching the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal-lights have stopped flashing. This applies whether you are meeting or following a school bus and includes multi-lane roads. The only exception is when driving on a road with a median – traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.

Penalties include a fine of $490 plus six demerit points for a first offence and range from $1000 to $4000, plus six demerit points and possible jail time up to six months for each subsequent offence upon conviction.

In Ontario, school-bus drivers and other witnesses can report vehicles that have illegally passed a school bus. Vehicle owners can also be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus, regardless of who was driving the vehicle at the time.

Drivers are also encouraged to:

• Take extra care when driving by parked cars.

• Be aware of school zones and reduce your speed.

• Travel through intersections slowly, Give yourself extra time.

• Be patient as children cross the road.

• Obey crossing guard instructions.

• Make eye contact with the children wanting to cross at the intersection.

• Obey all bus signals and never try to pass when they are stopped.

• Give yourself extra travel time.

Drivers should also be prepared to yield to student pedestrians and cyclists. Parents of students who will be walking or cycling to school are encouraged to speak with their children about the rules of the road that apply to them.

Let’s all do our part to ensure children arrive at school and back home safely.

Learn More:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/school-bus-safety.shtml

The post Let’s Keep Bus Safety Top Of Mind As Students Head Back To School appeared first on Muskoka411.

The proposal recommends that:

• All new and imported school buses in Canada be equipped with extended stop arms and a new visibility system for the bus driver to better see around the bus; and
• Clear requirements be set for the voluntary installation of infraction cameras. These devices can help law enforcement catch unsafe driver behaviour around school buses.

Together, these measures can help deter vehicles from illegally passing a stopped school bus, while also helping improve the bus driver’s ability to see children outside the bus.

The proposal follows the 2020 Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which recommends new measures to protect children outside the school bus, where they are at the highest risk.

“When it comes to protecting our children, we can never be safe enough. Passing any school bus with its stop arm deployed is reckless, and these proposed measures will help deter this. At the same time, the new visibility system would give school bus drivers a better view around the outside of the bus. I want to thank the Task Force on School Bus Safety and our many partners for bringing this proposal forward.”

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

An estimated 2.2 million Canadian children travel to and from school every day on over 50,000 school buses.

The post New Amber Red Light Warning System Coming To School Buses appeared first on Muskoka411.

“As part of our continuous efforts to improve home-to-school transportation services to Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) families in Muskoka, an agreement was reached with Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) to take on a number of bus stops for St. Dominic Catholic Secondary School, Monsignor Michael O’Leary and Saint Mary Catholic schools. They will service these stops with routes they already run. This arrangement will be in place for the remainder of this school year. Our current bus operator Wheelchair Accessible Transit (WAT) will also continue to provide service to these three schools.

The SCSTC found a collaborative solution with SMCDSB, and we appreciate TLDSB and WAT for their integral parts in making this happen.

The change was effective November 15, 2021. Affected students were provided letters last week with their new bussing info. All SMCDSB students should see an immediate improvement in their bus service and we will work to continue improving services through the school year.”

For more information, read our previous coverage below. To learn more about the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium, visit their website.

Driver Shortage Leads To Extensive Bussing Delays At Muskoka Catholic Schools

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Motorists should be aware that there is often a reduced speed limit and increased penalty for not adhering to the speed limit in school zones.

Huntsville OPP have been and will continue to conduct traffic enforcement in school zones to ensure the safety of the community.

The OPP would like to remind the motoring public to pay close attention when meeting or following a school bus.

Motorists in both directions must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and red lights activated and cannot start moving until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop sign has been retracted and the bus has started to move.

Highway 60 continues to be an area of concern in regards to vehicles passing school buses that have its red lights activated and stop sign extended.

Fines for not stopping:
• First offence $400 to $2,000 and six demerit points
• Each following offence, $1,000 to $4,000, six demerit points and possible jail time, (up to six months)

To report motorists who fail to stop for school buses call 1-888-310-1122 or 9-1-1 in an emergency. Note the driver and vehicle description, licence plate and direction of travel.

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Parents were notified of the new schedule on Saturday morning that will keep some students on board the buses for hours and parents are at their breaking point.

Students will have to wake up as early as 5:30 a.m., to catch the bus.

One parent told Muskoka411 her child will be getting picked up at 7:04 a.m., with school starting at 8:50 a.m., and with school ending at 3 p.m., the child will not get home until 4:57 p.m.,

The new bus schedule also means more students on each bus and will make for an extra long day for students and that has parents up in arms.

Haleigh Roberts is a parent who received the new schedule and has a child who is directly affected.

“The new wait times that they are implementing on these children is absolutely unacceptable”. Roberts said “My daughter is three years old, just started her first year of kindergarten and is now being told she has to stay on the bus for upwards of two hours to get to and from school when it was normally a 20 minute bus ride”.

The school board responsible issue a letter to parents on Saturday morning making recommendations.

The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board Released The Following Statement:

As much as we have worked to hire new drivers and find ways to mitigate the bussing delays in Muskoka and Parry Sound, many families continue to experience unacceptable wait times. Some of the solutions that have been considered by the SMCDSB, transportation consortium and/or bus operator are:

• Request the Ministry of Education to work with the Ministry of Transportation to expedite licencing approvals
• Assist the bus operator with recruitment efforts by posting jobs through the SMCDSB communications networks
• Liaise with our childcare partners in Bracebridge and Huntsville to explore the possibility of increasing before and after care programs
• Consolidate routes
• Contract charter busses and/or taxi services
• Provide additional incentives for drivers in the Muskoka/Parry Sound region
• Explore the possibility of utilizing regional transit routes
• Partner with other operators to ease current pressures
• Improve the timeliness for posting delay information
• Improve the flow of communication

This is not an exhaustive list and we know that some of these items cannot feasibly be implemented.  However, we do hope that it provides you with some additional detail about the work that is being done to address the ongoing issues.

At this point, we have collaborated with our school principals and the consortium and have confirmed an interim consolidated plan that provides confirmed and consistent pick-up and drop-off times.  These new bus routes and bus stop times will be communicated directly to you this weekend.  Please monitor your email this weekend to ensure that you receive the updated times and stops.

Please know that we are continuing to make every effort to restore service to acceptable levels in Muskoka and Parry Sound. We will continue to provide you ongoing communication as this busing situation improves.

Sincerely,

Allen Morrison

Controller of Planning, Facilities & Student Transportation Services

Driver Shortage Leads To Extensive Bussing Delays At Muskoka Catholic Schools

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Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) sent an email to families on March 19 announcing that the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC) would be coordinating transportation for Muskoka Catholic schools starting in September. The region’s Catholic schools previously received services through the Trillium Lakelands District School Board. The change was meant to “streamline and improve the delivery of transportation services,” said the email to families, but due to a shortage of drivers, bussing delays are now a daily occurrence.

“They told us that it would be a good change. Children would spend less time on the bus and be home quicker,” said Gravenhurst resident Deanna Luckasavitch, whose two children attend Monsignor Michael O’Leary Catholic School in Bracebridge. “We only found out on the first day of school they did not have enough drivers and there would be delays.”

Since school started, buses have been delayed everyday in the morning and evening, Luckasavitch said, with some delays as long as three hours. Her children end up exhausted after getting home close to 6 p.m., she said.

In order to avoid her son missing taekwondo, she’s gone to the school and picked up her kids instead of waiting for the bus. Other parents have had to do the same to keep from missing after-school activities like dance or hockey, she said, but work commitments make it hard to adjust to the delays.

“It’s stressful on parents and children,” Luckasavitch said. “Kids are tired. Parents are trying to work knowing their kids are stuck waiting at a school, worried about the colder weather coming.”

John Barbato, chief executive officer and general manager of the SCSTC, said the consortium is working with their Muskoka operator, Wheelchair Accessible Transit Inc., to mitigate delays and bring in enough drivers to fill the void.

“We know it’s not an ideal way to begin a school year, and we apologize profusely to families,” Barbato said. “We would recommend that they monitor our website for delays and download our delay app to receive the most up-to-date information on delays.”

While they’re hoping the situation continuously improves as they hire and train more drivers, there’s no particular timeline for when families can expect delays to let up.

Allen Morrison, controller of Planning, Facilities and Student Transportation Services for SMCDSB, sent an email to families on Sept. 14 to address the ongoing bussing issues. Morrison apologized on behalf of the school board and said they’re working with the consortium daily in an effort to expedite the hiring of new drivers.

“The simple fact is that the process of hiring, licencing and training drivers is extensive and quite involved,” Morrison said in the email. “Currently, the operators have several drivers in various stages of the hiring process – some awaiting Ministry of Transportation approval for licencing and/or background checks and others in the process of completing their training. In addition, the operator continues to actively recruit new drivers.”

Staff shortages are nothing new in Muskoka, and the shortage of bus drivers is a provincial-wide issue extending back years. School Bus Ontario (SBO), a non-profit organization that provides advocacy and education services for school bus fleets and their owners, points to the contract system as the source of the problem. Bus contracts are awarded to operators that place the lowest bid, suppressing pay and making it harder to attract new drivers, according to SBO.

Though the driver shortage is an issue affecting communities across the province, Morrison said that it doesn’t justify the situation with SMCDSB and it doesn’t mean they’ll stop working to fix the issue as quickly as possible. On the other hand, it does limit the school board’s options to address the local shortage.

“The provincial driver shortage makes it difficult to draw upon resources and drivers from other jurisdictions,” Morrison said. “However, our board is continuing to look at other alternatives, ideas and solutions to help alleviate the pressures on an interim basis until enough drivers are hired to adequately service our area.”

To see up-to-date details on delays, parents and guardians can visit the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium’s website.

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Make sure to allow extra time on your morning and afternoon commute. Drivers should share the road and know the following rules regarding school buses:

When driving on a road without a median

• Drivers traveling in both directions must stop for a stopped school bus with its upper red lights flashing
• When you approach the bus from the front, stop at a safe distance to let children get on or off the bus and cross the road
• Don’t move forward until the red lights have stopped flashing or the bus begins to move

Under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), drivers can be charged for failing stop for a bus with its upper red flashing lights. The fines include:

• First offence: $400 to $2,000 fine and six demerit points
• Each following offence: $1,000 to $4,000 fine, six demerit points and possible incarceration

Drivers are also encouraged to:

• Be aware of school zones and reduce your speed.
• Travel through intersections slowly.
• Be patient as children cross the road.
• Obey crossing guard instructions.
• Make eye contact with the children wanting to cross at the intersection.
• Obey all bus signals and never try to pass when they are stopped.
• Give yourself extra travel time.

If you witness a vehicle failing to stop for a school bus call police immediately. As motorists you have the responsibility to adhere to the rules of the road. Stop for flashing lights on school buses.

For further information on school bus safety, please visit mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/school-bus-safety.shtml.

The post OPP Reminding Drivers That School Buses Are Back appeared first on Muskoka411.

With the holiday season upon us, patience on the part of drivers is encouraged as many young children will be excited. This means they might require extra time boarding and departing the bus.

The OPP would like to remind motorists of the importance in continuing to pay close attention when meeting or following a school bus. Motorists in both directions must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing. Drivers cannot start moving until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm has been retracted and the bus has started to move.

Fines for not doing so:

• First offence $400 to $2,000 and six demerit points
• Each following offence, $1,000 to $4,000, six demerit points and possible jail time, (up to six months)

Drive safe and share the road.

The post Operation Safe School Bus In Muskoka Starts Today appeared first on Muskoka411.

OPP officers will be watching for drivers who disobey traffic laws in relation to school bus safety. A zero tolerance approach will be taken. In accordance with the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), motorists encountering a stopped school bus, that has its safety lights and equipment activated, must stop before reaching the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the safety lights and equipment have been deactivated. This applies whether you are meeting or following a school bus, and includes multi-lane roads. The only exception is when driving on a road with a median – traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop. Vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus, even if they weren’t driving.

The fine for failing to stop for a school bus is $400 to $2000 and 6 demerit points for the first offence. Subsequent offences carry a fine between $1000 and $4000, six demerit points and possible jail time (up to six months).

Drivers should also be prepared to yield to student pedestrians and cyclists. Parents of students who will be walking or cycling to school are encouraged to speak with their children about the rules of the road that apply to them.

Share the road and lets all get to where we are going safely.

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