CTA bus passes school bus with stop sign out

[MRChiCity]

So I came across this http://wgntv.com/2016/05/17/the-costly-and-deadly-mistake-of-ignoring-bus-stop-arm/ now why would a CTA bus blow past a stooped school bus with the stop sign out? I know when I was in school some of my school bus drivers were former CTA drivers, how common is it for CTA drivers to become school bus drivers or vice versa? Thanks  

[Busjack]

59 minutes ago, MRChiCity said:

So I came across this http://wgntv.com/2016/05/17/the-costly-and-deadly-mistake-of-ignoring-bus-stop-arm/ now why would a CTA bus blow past a stooped school bus with the stop sign out? I know when I was in school some of my school bus drivers were former CTA drivers, how common is it for CTA drivers to become school bus drivers or vice versa? Thanks  

As they said near the end of the video "cameras." Maybe all school buses need drive cam.

However, there shouldn't be much debate that on city streets that are not divided, traffic in both directions should stop, and certainly nobody should pass the bus with a stop arm out. But this seems the same attitude as what makes red light cameras a cash cow, and CTA drivers claiming they are exempt from them.

[Pace831]

2 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

So I came across this http://wgntv.com/2016/05/17/the-costly-and-deadly-mistake-of-ignoring-bus-stop-arm/ now why would a CTA bus blow past a stooped school bus with the stop sign out?

Too bad the video wasn't clear enough to get the bus/run numbers, which would have made it easier to identify the CTA operator. At that particular stop, the primary issue would appear to be drivers not understanding the law, thinking they don't have to stop because of the road configuration. People being in too much of a hurry and distracted driving are also big reasons for this problem. School bus routes are designed so kids don't have to cross the street at stops like this that would be considered dangerous. Roadway configuration is actually the primary consideration in whether a stop is too dangerous, not traffic volume. Watching this brought back some "nostalgia" for riding the school bus. We had some stops where kids had to cross on roads that are very busy with a 50-55 MPH speed limit, but the road had a simple two-lane layout that was deemed safe to cross. I guess the thought process was the kids and driver could easily see everything that was going on and determine when it was safe to cross, even though violations would occur there almost every day. Compare that to the stop pictured in the video, there are too many lanes of traffic going multiple directions for that to be considered a safe place to cross the street. I used to sit right behind the driver and get the license plates of the people who blew past the stopped bus. The problem was so bad on some routes that the drivers gave me copies of the official incident report forms to write down the plate number and a description of the vehicle and what happened. The bus drivers would turn in the reports to their supervisor who sent them to the police so the violators could be issued a citation. I got good enough at that job to get about a third of the plate numbers, which took a few years of practice. The hardest part was when something unusual would happen, such as several vehicles in a row passing the bus, or someone who was behind the bus passing it in the opposing lane or even on the right shoulder. The worst offenders were the hardest to catch.

2 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

how common is it for CTA drivers to become school bus drivers or vice versa?

I believe it is more common for drivers to start out driving a school bus before going to CTA than the other way around. The impression I have is that school bus drivers are primarily parents getting supplemental income while their kids are in school, or people using it as a stepping stone to a "better" driving job like CTA. Compared to CTA, school bus drivers are generally paid less, receive less benefits, work less hours, and have less possibility of advancement. Some school bus drivers receive free CDL training in exchange for a 1-2 year work commitment, so many people take advantage of the free training and getting bus driving experience to improve their chances of getting a job at CTA, which also has a more competitive hiring process than most school bus positions do.

[Busjack]

18 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

Too bad the video wasn't clear enough to get the bus/run numbers, which would have made it easier to identify the CTA operator. At that particular stop

I have the feeling that (1) TV doesn't show the full definition of phone or security video (I can't figure out how anyone is caught from bank video on TV), (2) given time of day, and the location being stated, it isn't that hard tor CTA to figure out which bus and driver. There aren't that many 62 buses at Archer and whatever it is at 2900 S (narration not that clear; Lock?) and (3) there are forensic ways to enhance the video and get the run number.

[XE NewFlyer]

i think the run was K251 i might be wrong