Pennsylvania Bill Would Allow Automated Cameras to Catch Drivers Passing School Buses Illegally

The Pennsylvania Senate Transit Committee approved a bill to allow for photo enforcement to catch drivers making illegal passes that could endanger children in front of school buses.

1 minute read

May 18, 2018, 12:00 PM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


School bus with stop sign

Gerry Dincher / Flickr

The Pennsylvania Senate has produced a bill aimed at curbing dangerous driving around school busses. "Under the bill, the local police would collect any images from the “automated side stop signal arm enforcement system” and use them to send citations to the owner/operators of the vehicles photographed," Matthew Santoni writes for Trib Live.

Studies suggest that illegally passing school busses is common. "According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, 106,976 bus drivers in 30 states and Washington, D.C., counted 78,239 vehicles making illegal passes over the course of a single-day survey in 2017," Santoni reports.

The National Motorists Association is against the legislation arguing that many who illegally pass buses do so unintentionally and only a few children are killed or hurt by these drivers, the position has drawn some ridicule. 

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 in Trib Live

Aerial view of homes on green hillsides in Daly City, California.

Depopulation Patterns Get Weird

A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.

April 10, 2024 - California Planning & Development Report

Aerial view of Oakland, California with bay in background

California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million

Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.

April 11, 2024 - Los Angeles Times

Large blank mall building with only two cars in large parking lot.

Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House

If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.

April 18, 2024 - Central Penn Business Journal

Young woman and man seated on subway car looking at phones.

Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features

It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.

April 19 - BGR

Ohio state capitol dome against dramatic lightly cloudy sky.

Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production

A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.

April 19 - Daytona Daily News

Aerial view of Interstate 290 or Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant

Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.

April 19 - Streetsblog Chicago

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.