SALEM — Stop-arm cameras installed on Salem Public Schools buses back in September recorded 3,371 suspected traffic violations throughout the city in less than four months.
Bus Patrol, the company the city is working with to provide stop-arm cameras and safety solutions to school buses, revealed data showing which areas of the city have had the highest number of incidents where cars are suspected to have illegally passed a stopped bus during student pick-up or drop-off.
The location with the highest number of suspected violations was Loring Avenue and Lafayette Street off Route 1A, which generated an estimated 732 suspected violations. That was more than double the location with the second-highest number of violations — North Street and mason Street, the site of 308 suspected violations.
The Boston Street and Prospect Avenue area produced 265 suspected violations, and the area of Marlborough Road from Vista Avenue to McGrath Park generated 164 suspected violations. The area of Lafayette Street and Chase Street, which is directly in front of the Saltonstall School, saw 179 suspected violations.
Last Friday, 11 years after the legislation was introduced on Beacon Hill, Gov. Maura Healey signed Bill H.4940 into law, which legalizes the use of stop-arm cameras to identify and penalize drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses while they pick up and drop off students.
The bill, and similar acts that would authorize Salem to employ automated enforcement of traffic violations in school zones, have long secured local approval, but stalled due to the home rule petition process, the vehicle through which a town or city makes changes that require state approval.
Salem officials have previously sent home-rule petitions on automated enforcement to the state, which are necessary because violations in Massachusetts rely on being physically observed by a police officer.
“The data from Salem and Peabody’s pilot programs truly demonstrated the need for additional tools for enforcing traffic safety laws, and I’m grateful to the Massachusetts legislature and the Healey-Driscoll administration for moving this new law forward,” Mayor Dominick Pangallo said.
“Here in Salem, we take the safety of our kids very seriously and plan to utilize this new enforcement mechanism to better protect them – and all road users. Do not pass a stopped bus with its stop sign arm extended, whether you’re behind the bus or approaching it. It is illegal, it is dangerous, and, thanks to this new law, it is going to get you a substantial citation.”
Salem Public Schools also partnered with Stopfinder, an app enabling parents to track their child’s bus in real time; and Wayfinder, an app which tracks students as they board and exit buses.
“Our foremost priority as a school system is keeping our students safe so that they can thrive as learners in our classrooms,” school Superintendent Stephen Zrike said. “This new legislation supports our ability to protect our youth from distracted drivers who, based on video evidence, consistently ignore stop-arm cameras.
“Our bus drivers have asked for our help and now we are able to take significant steps to respond to their legitimate concerns.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202