Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Bus Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears Target Zero manager on school bus visibility; members to research beacon costs at Gate 1, 5 and 9
Summary
A guest from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission urged the committee to focus on visibility and engineering fixes for three Sudden Valley school‑bus stops; the committee asked members to gather cost and permitting information for timed beacons or flashing lights.
Sudden Valley Safety Committee members heard from a Washington Traffic Safety Commission Target Zero manager about improving visibility at three high‑priority school bus stops and agreed to research costs, power requirements and permitting for timed beacons or flashing warning lights.
The committee identified Gate 1, Gate 5 and Gate 9 as the most vulnerable bus stops in the community and discussed solutions such as timed flashing beacons that operate during school‑run hours. Colleen described local conditions: “...there is a light across the street, for example, at Gate 9, but it is not enough to illuminate where the children are standing. It is very, very dark.”
Guest Carl Lanham, who identified himself as a Target Zero manager at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and a former Bellingham Police traffic supervisor, said, “We approach it from 3 angles, enforcement, education, and engineering,” and recommended the committee prioritize engineering fixes (lighting and beacons) to make bus stops more visible to drivers.
Committee members instructed Colleen and other volunteers to:
- Gather cost estimates and vendor sources for timed beacons and school‑zone flashing lights; identify typical power requirements (solar vs. hard‑wired). - Check permitting and county requirements for installing lights on county roads, and determine if county or state funding might be available for infrastructure. - Confirm exact bus‑loading locations with Bellingham School District Transportation (Cindy Dennis) and WTA routing, to ensure any installations target the correct locations.
Members emphasized the need to prioritize stops with permanent shelters and stable routing so investment is not wasted if a stop moves. Committee staff also noted that security and maintenance roles are limited: the association has one security officer on duty and would need partnerships to maintain any equipment.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the issue; members asked volunteers to return with cost and permitting information for the next meeting.
