Now that the summer is here, the ridership of the Lakewood Shuttle has gone up exponentially, the company tells TLS, and “many of the riders are school-aged children, availing themselves of this affordable service as a method of transportation to and from day camp and jobs.”
The company has sent us the following statement:
We are thrilled to be able to provide this necessary service to the community. However, a problem has arisen. These children are used to riding school buses where there is a measure of safety that comes with the flashing red lights. They know that they can exit the bus and run in front to cross the street, as the flashing lights and the stop sign will hold up traffic until they are safely on the opposite side of the street.
Unfortunately, this is what many of the young riders are doing when disembarking the Lakewood Shuttle as well. Cars approaching from either direction are not stopping or even slowing when the bus is letting off passengers, so although the bus drivers realize that there is a child running in front of the bus and will wait until they are on the other side, the approaching cars are unaware of this and speed right past these children who are running into oncoming traffic.
After too many close calls, we feel it is incumbent upon us to inform the general public about this problem. There are only so many times a bus driver can ask a child to cross safely. It is the job of the parents who are allowing their children to ride the bus unattended to educate their children regarding the basic rules of safety on the road.
Please teach your child to
- Never cross in front of a Transit bus.
- When disembarking, first walk to the sidewalk until the bus pulls back into traffic.
- Once the bus leaves, look both ways before crossing the street.
- If your child is waiting on one side of the street and sees a bus approaching from the opposite direction, they may try to indicate to the driver that they want to cross over and board the bus, but under no circumstance may they run across traffic in front of the bus to get it to stop for them.
- Our staff is friendly and courteous and more than happy to assist passengers. If your child is unsure of anything, they can and should ask the driver for assistance.
We hope that everyone continues to enjoy the Lakewood Shuttle in a safe manner. As always, questions, suggestions and comments are always welcome. You may reach us at (732) 994-4087or email us at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @lakewoodshuttle for live updates.
[TLS]
These words of wisdom need to be part of every family’s insruction to children every time prior to their usage of the transportation system. Older children need to help look out for younger children and children below the age of 13 should be accompanied by an adult.
How about installing some flashing lights? And when are we getting bussing to the eastern side of town?
County line East? brook road? Ridge ave? Rt 88? New Hampshire?
I’m maskim to the last comment except I think girls should be allowed to ride unaccompanied at age 12 already.
Thank you so much for posting this. I am a retired NJ Transit bus operator, there is a sign at the front of the coach that reads DO NOT CROSS IN FRONT OF THE BUS. Few people heed this warning, especially youngsters. Parents, please take the time to explain to your children that public transportation vehicles are NOT school buses.
Thank you and have a safe, happy summer!
I feel wording should be added to cross ONLY at crosswalks to get to the other side of the road. Looking both ways is of course important, but do not cross at will just anywhere. Asking for flashing lights on these buses is silliness and will only lead to more confusion and give riders the sense that other drivers need to heed these lights the same as on a school bus.
How about a child-friendly handout for all children and teens who get on the bus. Better yet, they can be placed in stores and other public places for parents to share with their children, and handed out in schools as well. We certainly don’t need a tragedy, chas v’shalom, to inspire proactive measures.