While school buses are back on the road, there are concerns about where they are parking.
Currently the Town of Drumheller allows school bus drivers to park their busses in close proximity to their homes. While it is a convenience for the driver, for some neighbours, it can be an issue.
Mayor Terry Yemen says he typically begins to hear complaints about school buses in residential neighborhoods when school commences.
“There is a transition period where everyone has to get used to it again,” said Yemen. “Usually there are complaints this time of year. They talk to the driver and it takes care of itself.”
He said the town has allowed drivers to park near their homes to help the school divisions attract and retain drivers.
“They did have a storage area, where the drivers had to drive over and pick up their buses, and they had such a hard time getting drivers. Here there is some convenience where a mom can start her bus and take her preschooler on the bus with her and go and do pick ups,” said Yemen.
According to The Town of Drumheller’s Traffic Bylaw, only school buses are allowed to park on any highway within the Town of Drumheller and that, “no person shall park a school bus on any highway within the Town, except that an owner or driver of a school bus may park a school bus in the immediate vicinity of their home unless otherwise directed by a Peace Officer as a consequence of a bona fide complaint by a directly affected person.”
Director of Community Services Paul Salvatore says there are clear rules and they take in to consideration whether the bus is causing a hazard or obscuring traffic.
One resident told The Mail, she made a complaint to the Town of Drumheller and felt it was not dealt with to her satisfaction.
Cindy Spencer lives on Riverside Drive, and feels the buses should not be left on residential roadways.
She says there is a bus in close proximity of her home and a playground zone. This obscures visibility, making it a potentially hazardous situation.
“I would prefer they were parked at a school, not on the street, because you can’t see past them,” she said. “I have to pull out past the pedestrian walk to see past the school bus and the front of my car just about gets nailed. It’s not fun."
She also sees it as a double standard where large commercial vehicles are not allowed to park because of weight restrictions, however, school buses’ weight is just as damaging to the roadways. She adds there are stains all over the ground from leaks from the school bus.
She made a complaint to the Town of Drumheller about a year ago, and received correspondence from the department of community enforcement saying it appears there was not a problem.
Spencer said she is tired of making complaints, but if another resident were to start a petition she would gladly support it and even go door-to-door to collect signatures.
