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Local bus driver raises safety concerns on Rocky Ford Road; VDOT pledges study and signage options
Summary
A Nottoway County school bus driver told supervisors he has been frightened by passing vehicles at bus stops on Rocky Ford Road and asked the board to seek a 35 mph limit or targeted traffic study. The VDOT representative said a peak-period traffic count and radar feedback signage are likely options but that automated cameras are not permitted in the right of way under Virginia law.
At the Dec. 19 meeting a Nottoway County school bus driver described repeated near-misses on a curved stretch of Rocky Ford Road where two bus routes pass an S-curve. The driver said vehicles frequently pass stopped buses and that the current signs have become "invisible" to some motorists, urging the board to request a 35-mph limit or a VDOT traffic study conducted during school pickup and drop-off times.
"I'm not sure I'm going to have to ask for forgiveness on this presentation, but I don't want to see somebody mauled," the driver said, urging immediate action for signage or reduced speed during school hours.
Aaron French of VDOT responded that staff will include bus stops and bus frequency when they perform a Shoe Road traffic study and described typical traffic-count practice (measuring the 85th percentile). He said radar feedback signs and advisory signage can be successful, but cautioned that automated camera enforcement in the VDOT right of way is restricted under Virginia law. "Radar feedback signs, things that don't capture license plate or take pictures are successful," French said.
The board instructed VDOT staff to coordinate a time-limited study during morning and afternoon peaks and to explore enhanced flashing signage or time-specified reduced speed signs for the corridor.
The discussion also raised the question of camera-equipped buses and data-capture limits from driver-facing cameras; the driver and VDOT said exterior-capture capability varies and is often insufficient for enforcement-grade evidence.
