Safety measures need fixing after car struck 12-year-old middle school student while getting off school bus

A 12-year-old female Broadview Middle School student suffered a head injury and broken arm after being hit by a car, driven by Amanda Simon of N.J., at 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Padanaram Road and North Street in Danbury, Conn.

Elementary and middle school students of the Danbury public school system who live on Padanaram Avenue and take the bus to and/or from school must cross two lanes of traffic to get to and/or from the school bus.

I am familiar with the routine because, as a life-long Padanaram Avenue resident who attended Danbury public schools, I used to have to cross these lanes of traffic, and have always felt that there was something wrong with risking the lives of innocent children by having them cross two lanes of traffic, knowing that drivers sometimes do not pay attention while driving.

Approximate area where 12-year-old was hit by car.

It seems as though the only concern people have in the case of this 12-year-old girl is the responsibility of the drivers, but I believe if not most, then at least an equal amount of attention and responsibility should be placed on the Danbury public school system and/or the bus company they use, Student Transportation of America, to transport students to and from school.

According to Danbury police, Simon was traveling south on Padanaram Road when she tried to pass two vehicles stopped ahead of her and apparently did not see the bus or its flashing warning signals when she ran into the middle school student.

Although stopping for school buses is something people learn and must know in order to get their license, drivers are human beings and mistakes happen. I am not excusing Simon from what occurred, but I believe measures could be taken to ensure the safety of students getting on and off school buses by those who decide school bus routes.

Even Capt. Thomas Wendel of the Danbury Police Department said that not seeing school buses when they are stopped is a "persistent problem among drivers, many of whom [don't] consider that the "reason (the care in front of you) is stopped is possibly for pedestrians and/or a school bus" (Jany).

If this is such a persistent problem, would it not make sense to have buses drop off and pick up children on the same side of the road as their marked bus-stops instead of having them cross roads where they are at risk of being hit by a careless driver?

Padanaram Road is known for being a busy traffic area, particularly in the afternoon when school days end and buses drop off children. Broadview Middle School students who go on to attend Danbury High School no longer have to cross hectic Padanaram Road to get to and from their bus—they are dropped off on the same side of the road as their bus stop.

Wendel said that "parents can instruct their children that even thought the bus has its lights on, they still should be cautious, especially when crossing multiple lanes" (Jany), which is true and something that most parents teach their children when they learn to walk and can comprehend such instructions, but where is the sensibility in having elementary and middle school children cross multiple lanes while high school students with the same bus stop do not?

Compared to elementary and middle school children, teenagers seem to have a more heightened sense of awareness and judgment when it comes to crossing roads, and would be more attentive of potential oncoming vehicles that do not appear to be stopping for a bus' blinking lights. Because of this difference in alertness and judgment, it is more likely that a elementary or middle school student would be at risk of being struck by a vehicle that illegally does not stop for a school bus than a high school student.

The fact that high school students are safely being dropped off at their bus stop near the intersection of North Street and Padanaram Road while elementary and middle school students are forced to cross two lanes of traffic does not make sense to me, and I believe whoever determines where buses pick up and drop of students ought to fix this issue to ensure children's well-being.

Proposed CT toll booths would bring more harm than good

State lawmakers met before the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee on Friday, Feb. 17 to discuss the proposal of bringing toll booths back to Conn. highways after 25 years, in order to bring in revenue for the state’s transportation needs.

However, such alterations to the state's toll booth-free highways would bring more inconveniences and complications than benefits, and therefore should not be undertaken.

Conn. toll booths were removed in 1986 after a Secretarial Agreement with the federal government was made because of safety issues, notably the deadly 1983 crash in Stratford where a tractor-trailer smashed into a toll center along the I-95 highway, killing seven people.

Those in favor of placing tolls back on Conn. highways have proposed ideas such as: opening tolls on major Conn. highways along the borders, building E-ZPass toll stations to collect feeds from large cargo trucks, and placing tolls on new highways or extensions.

However, numerous officials and locals are opposed to the revival of Conn. tolls stations for various reasons.

Reinstituting tolls in Conn. could jeopardize the state’s annual $500 million federal transportation funding, which Conn. has relied on since the removal of tolls in 1986. Because of certain federal highway regulations, such as the federal government’s disallowance for states to place tolls on existing highways, Conn. could end up owing more money than they would actually make.

"We would compromise the flow of funding we’ve been getting for the last 25 years," said State Rep. David Scribner.

Placement of tolls along Conn. borders would have a more negative impact on border cities like my hometown of Danbury, which is located directly across the N.Y. state border, than other towns that are centrally located.

Danbury has been a significant economic provider for the state, with its stores collecting and sending more than $67 million in sales tax to Hartford. The Danbury Fair Mall greatly contributes to that revenue and draws in 40 to 50 percent of its customers from N.Y. State.

Toll booths would not only hurt Danbury’s economy, but also burden its revenue streams as well. The average number of people from surrounding states who travel to Conn. to shop at places such as the Danbury Fair Mall would decrease because they would not want to constantly pay toll fees.

Toll booths would also put an unfair financial burden on residents, such as my father, who commute to neighboring states such as N.Y. for school, work, and other obligations.

My father works in Mahopac, N. Y., therefore crosses the I-84 border between Conn. and N.Y. at least twice a day, five days a week. If Conn. decides to place tolls along the border, this would mean he would have to pay toll fares at least ten times a week, 520 times a year. In an already unstable economy, who wants to have to pay in order to go to work? My father certainly does not.

The reinstallation of Conn. tolls would also congest and add wear and tear on local roads, as travelers would take alternate routes to avoid paying toll fees, and Danbury, once again, would feel the brunt of toll installations.

According to State Senator Michael McLachlan, an estimated 13,800 vehicles would travel local roads in order to avoid tolls at the I-84 N.Y. State border.

"In the Greater Danbury area, many people use I-84 like a local road, as the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B, and typically only travel it for an exit or two," said State Rep. David Scribner. "Placing tolls on the I-84 corridor would cause drivers to avoid the highway and the impact on small roads and businesses would be devastating."

Those in favor of bringing tolls back to Conn. believe it would be a good way to acquire desperately needed revenues, but as you can see, negative consequences of installing tolls ultimately outweigh any of the potential benefits.