New Richmond clarifies school‑bus warning‑light rules after driver testimony

The New Richmond City Council approved Ordinance 6‑30 on Oct. 12 to clarify when school-bus operators should activate red warning lights and require traffic to stop in both directions.

Donovan Sullivan, safety manager for the local bus company Cobus and Buses, spoke during public comment and described several near-miss scenarios — a dropped item that a child chased into the street, a special-education student who broke free of a guardian and ran around the bus, and a pet that ran under a bus while a child pursued it. Sullivan said the existing ordinance (referenced in his remarks as Ordinance 82‑56) and state statute can be read to prohibit red-light use in some common situations. He asked the council whether traffic should be stopped when students could potentially be in the roadway.

Staff told the council they had updated the city ordinance (redline included in the packet) to state clearly that warning lights should be activated and traffic stopped when students are being dropped off or picked up and where students might enter the roadway — regardless of whether curb or sidewalk exists on one or both sides of the street and irrespective of bus loading-zone designations. The intent, staff said, is to reduce ambiguity for operators and to prioritize child safety.

A council member who also serves on the school board thanked Sullivan for bringing the issue to staff’s attention; council moved to suspend the rules and approve the ordinance that evening. The measure passed on roll call.

Next steps: Staff will finalize ordinance language in the code; enforcement and educational outreach for bus operators and drivers were discussed as follow-up items.