Police in North Bay are urging drivers to prioritize school bus safety as classrooms prepare to fill once again, launching a renewed enforcement campaign just days before thousands of students head back to class. With the Labour Day long weekend marking the final stretch of summer, authorities are ramping up efforts to prevent dangerous incidents involving children crossing roads, biking to school, and boarding or exiting school buses. Campaign targets illegal passing of stopped buses The North Bay Police Service has initiated its annual ‘Slow It Down for School’ campaign, effective immediately, as the first day of school approaches on Tuesday. The initiative is specifically aimed at deterring drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, a violation that officers say remains alarmingly common. Const. Douglas MacIntosh told CTV News that the roads are a shared public space and that protecting young pedestrians is a collective community responsibility. “We have to remember that the public roads are shared by everyone, including the children on their way to school. Many of the violators have children themselves,” he said. “Collectively, as a community, we should be proud to keep our public roads safe.” Police are also reminding motorists of the specific rules of the road. On roads without a median, vehicles travelling in both directions must come to a complete stop. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus begins moving, the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm is no longer activated. Amber lights flashing on a bus indicate that drivers should slow down and prepare to stop and vehicles must remain at least 20 metres behind a stopped bus with its red lights activated. Family tragedy fuels call for stricter laws The campaign carries personal weight for Pierre Ranger, who lost his brother Adam 26 years ago when he was struck while getting off a school bus in February. Ranger now serves as chairman of the ‘Let’s Remember Adam’ stop for school buses campaign and he is using his family’s tragedy to push for tougher legislation. Ranger argued that the current penalties, which include a minimum $490 fine and six demerit points for a first offence and up to $4,000 with possible jail time for subsequent violations, are insufficient to change driver behaviour. “So that if you pass a stop school bus, it would be the same laws as stunting. You’ll lose your vehicle. You’ll have to go to court. There will be impound fees,” Ranger said. He also noted that enforcement is hampered by a significant gap in reporting. “Only a small number of stop arm incidents actually get reported,” Ranger said. Ranger stressed that violations are a daily reality for those who drive the buses. “Ask any bus driver. They’ll have horror stories of people not stopping for their school bus,” he said. “I have never met a bus driver that’s never had somebody pass their stopped school bus.” Advocacy grows for stop arm cameras Ranger is now directing his advocacy toward the Ontario government, calling for a mandatory safety standard that would require every school bus to be equipped with a stop arm camera. He believes that making such technology a requirement directly from the factory floor, before buses are declared road-ready, would provide critical evidence for enforcement and act as a deterrent. “Children are our future and we can’t live without them,” Ranger said. Police expand reporting tools and crossing guard training Recognizing that officers cannot be present at every intersection or bus stop, police are making it easier for the public to report traffic concerns. The service has updated its website to include a convenient platform where citizens can file reports, including specific forms for school bus violations. MacIntosh said police also met with the city’s crossing guards on Friday to gather input from those working on the front lines ahead of the new school year. “Crossing guards have now received direct training from police on what kind of evidence to look out for and to help us catch violators,” he said. “This includes trying to provide a description of the vehicle that’s offending, capturing a license plate, and anything else in which we can identify the driver.” Drivers who disobey a crossing guard’s direction face a fine of $730 if the incident occurs in a Community Safety Zone. Police said the force has also committed to increased enforcement efforts throughout the entire school year, targeting “hot spots” near known crossing guard locations to catch repeat violators. The collective hope, officials said, is for a safe and uneventful return to the classroom.
