Editor, The Smithfield Times:

It feels like school transportation is running somewhat better this year than last year, but I believe we still have work to do on getting our students to and from school safely and efficiently. Some improvements that I think would be beneficial are:

1. We need to continue purchasing new school buses and rotating aged buses out of service. As buses age they become less reliable and require longer and more expensive repairs. Keeping up a rotation of new buses in and old buses out is an economic necessity in addition to being essential for maintaining a safe and efficient transportation network. 

Last year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had a few grant programs available to help purchase new, clean school buses to replace older diesel buses; we should look to see if that program will continue this fiscal year.

2. We need to make sure our compensation package for bus drivers and transportation staff is competitive in our area, so we can attract and retain qualified personnel.
3. We should have a maintenance facility that can fit our largest buses inside with the doors shut. Dust, grit and moisture are all things that should be kept out of engines and anything with moving parts. It only takes a very small particle to make an o-ring fail or start leaking. Providing an enclosed, temperature-controlled environment for our maintenance personnel will both allow them to work more efficiently and allow for higher-quality work.
4. We should push to get safe access for pedestrians installed. Several of our schools, including Carrollton Elementary, Westside Elementary, Hardy Elementary and Windsor High, have neighborhoods within easy walking distance, but to my knowledge none of these schools have safe crosswalks to allow students to access these schools. There are even several grant programs available, such as Safe Routes to Schools and Transportation Alternatives, that would provide most of the funding for these types of improvements. I would love to see a project or projects started to address these gaps in our accessibility.

 

Greg Brown

Smithfield