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Show " 1 I f m:t.-. ....... :m i I '"$;s -''-. : -: lillplli ;silllllllll: IT'S TIGHT! There's no way you can get all of Clearfield High School's 18 buses into the bus service area at one time-even when the snow's not around. Now, things are more than a bit tight not only there but across ac-ross the district, when it comes to adequate room for buses to drop off and pick up youngsters from area schools. Parents and others are reminded to steer clean (literally) of posted areas for the sake of your car's safety and that of the children! By TOM BL'SSELBERG CLEARFIELD - When you spot red lights flashing on a yellow school bus you stop and wait, whether behind or in the opposite lane on an undi- " vided highway, right? A LOT OF drivers do that instinctively but apparently many of those same motorists also don't think anything of pulling into the bus loading and unloading zones at all times, including when buses are supposed sup-posed to be there. That's the word from District Dis-trict Transportation Super visor Richard Butler, who notes complaints from many bus drivers that they can't unload un-load youngsters or pick them up in those designated areas because of cars blocking the way. ' ' "WE'VE HAD a terrible time since all this snow," he suys. "One bus ran into the front fender of a car when trying to get out of traffic." he relates, noting its sometimes been hard to plow enough for even one bus, such as at Central Cen-tral Davis Junior in Layton. "When the weather's bad. a lot of people go after their kids. When there are more cars, there's less room for buses. Some drivers are really nasty and don't move out of the way. They say they have just as much right to park there as anyone else," he recalls, noting not-ing officially designated areas are marked with signs indicating indicat-ing hours they should be left clear for buses. POLICE CAN be called and have been to some schools." he continues. "Kaysville police have gone down a few " times and tried to clear the cars out at Kaysville Junior. People can't drive up and down the street." sometimes, because so many cars are parked in front. It's a problem "from one end of the district to the other-almost other-almost universal." Dr. Butler explains. "A lot of parents are good about staying out in the street but then we sometimes can't get the buses into the loading zone. If you park right next to the entrance of a bus loading zone. 40-foot-long buses can't turn in without hitting hit-ting someone. THE SITUATION has irritated irri-tated a lot of drivers and "there have been a lot of loud words over the ( bus) radios-some radios-some wanted to tow cars, but we can't do that." Police have been called to Bountiful's Boulton Elementary, Elemen-tary, as well, he says, and could be alerted by a principal if needed although "they hate to do it" to their patrons. AT CLEARFIELD High, where congestion reigns even in good weather with 18 buses converging. Dr. Butler says "We've had to have half a dozen buses wait but even then we can't always get (other buses) in there." |