With students back in school and school buses back on Salt Spring’s roads, officials are reminding island drivers to be on the lookout for both.
An expansion of service this year includes new routes reaching previously unserved communities, district officials said, including one for students residing at Salt Spring Commons, where a bus route up Charlesworth Road to Bishop’s Walk seems to have caught some in the neighbourhood of Charlesworth and Cudmore roads by surprise.
“We’ve had a few issues with motorists speeding down the hill and being surprised by the bus coming up around a few of the curves,” said Gulf Islands School District director of operations Colin Whyte, “resulting in a near miss or two.”
Whyte said bus drivers exercise a great deal of caution going around those corners, as the lines of sight there can be short — and he urges other drivers to do the same, especially during school bus operating hours.
“We’re hoping to minimize the chances of an incident,” he said, “and want to continue to be able to serve the students at the Commons.”
Additional expanded service includes a new route up Collins Road, Whyte said, turning around at Mount Erskine Drive.
In addition to caution on corners, B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act requires drivers to come to a complete stop when approaching a stationary school bus with its red lights flashing — including traffic from both directions, according to provincial officials.
Bus service in most Salt Spring neighbourhoods begins with the first students picked up shortly before 8 a.m.; afternoon buses generally run from 3:30 to 5 p.m.