Council adopts local acceptance for school bus violation camera law; vendor and appeals process described

The Lawrence City Council on Aug. 19 approved a local acceptance measure to enable automated enforcement for vehicles passing stopped school buses. Proponent Michael Gorman, representing Bus Patrol, described pilot programs elsewhere in Massachusetts and said cameras were triggered when a bus’s stop arm extended. He said Peabody and Salem recorded more than 1,600 potential violations in three months across 14 buses and argued the program improves child safety and reduces the burden on drivers. Gorman told councilors the final review of flagged incidents will rest with the Lawrence Police Department; a police designee will screen potential violations and the department will be the final arbiter before any citation is issued. He said motorists will have appeal rights through the district court system and that the vendor would appear in court if needed. Councilors asked about edge cases: for example, situations when a bus lights or arm did not give a clear signal or a vehicle was already passing when the arm deployed. Gorman said such “perfect-storm” instances are typically screened out by the city’s reviewing officer and would not lead to a citation. The council approved the local acceptance resolution as presented. Councilors also discussed outreach and education for bus drivers and vendors to reduce false positives and to ensure drivers and the public understand the system and appeals process.