Lawmaker: Blinking buses would be safer

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Feb 23, 2005 by Tim Carpenter Capital-Journal

By Tim Carpenter

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Students riding public school buses in Kansas may soon rock to the beat of pulsing strobe lights.

The Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday passed a bill requiring installation of strobes, reflecting a goal of helping the hulking yellow buses operate safely in all types of weather.

Sen. Pat Apple, R-Louisburg, proposed the idea. The school board in Louisburg adopted a policy mandating white strobes on top of each bus and stipulated the lights had to be used whenever children were on board.

"Whether coming home from an away game in the fog or seeing a school bus stopped early in the morning on a busy highway, it was nice to know that the students were in a well-marked vehicle," he said.

Apple said the policy should be implemented statewide to give all kids the same level of protection.

Peggy Clark, transportation director for Topeka Public Schools, said a portion of buses in the fleet operated by Durham School Services, which contracts with the district to haul USD 501 students, were equipped with strobes.

Clark said she endorsed the Senate bill --- not to improve dancing on the buses --- but to enhance safety.

"Think of an airplane's strobe on a wing," she said. "Especially in fog, it shines out there."

It would cost an estimated $85 plus labor to install strobe lights on a bus, she said.