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Board members urge residents to engage townships over development-driven bus routing and late pick-ups
Summary
Board members and residents raised repeated concerns about residential development, road infrastructure and its effects on school bus routes and schedule reliability. District staff described steps taken to review stops and work with PennDOT when needed.
Board members used the Sept. 29 meeting to press the point that growth and local development are creating challenges for school transportation and urged residents to participate early in township planning hearings.
Mr. Jackson, board member, told residents to bring their concerns to township planning commissions and supervisors when developments are proposed, saying later objections are less effective. "If you're concerned, please go to the townships. Go to the planning commission meetings," Jackson said. "By the time you start school to come back to school and it's based on 50 kids, you can stay with that hour circle. You get two new developments and all of a sudden now you have an additional 100 kids, you're not gonna make that hour circle."
Dr. Scanlon, superintendent, said the district is coordinating with township managers and has worked with transportation staff and contractors to improve on-time performance. "Transportation has done a really good job this year," Dr. Scanlon said. He added district staff meet with township managers and that the district investigates bus-stop safety and will submit walking-route reviews to PennDOT when there are unresolved concerns.
Board members and community commenters described practical steps staff have taken: Mr. Fink, the district's chief financial officer, and transportation staff have visited bus stops to evaluate conditions, and the district has submitted or plans to submit some stops to PennDOT for official walking-route reviews. "Our only other option is to go to PennDOT and PennDOT will come out and do a review of a walking route to the stop," Dr. Scanlon said.
A resident who recently served on the Upper Providence planning commission, Madam Krupa, urged stronger coordination between the township and the school district during planning. "One of the biggest stressors we had ... was what kind of coordination happened with the school district? And, unfortunately, it was really none," she said, noting the need to assess traffic and busing impacts early in the process.
Ending: The board and administration said they will continue outreach with township managers, accept PennDOT reviews for disputed stops, and share transportation updates at future budget and planning workshops.
