ICYMI: Atlanta School Buses to Have Stop Arm Cameras

Normally, a city school system asking its city council to approve a request for cameras on their school buses’ stop signs would be little more than a formality, but nothing is normal about the relationship between Atlanta Public Schools and the Atlanta City Council.

Although the two entities will work together to get cameras installed on the stop arms of city school buses, the approval process itself was anything but cordial, Atlanta InTown says. Two city council members blasted APS for adding the request to their agenda at the last minute, with one councilwoman saying she would have liked two weeks’ notice before voting on the proposal.

APS and the city council are not on the best of terms, to put it lightly. The school system is seething over a property tax dispute with Atlanta Beltline and argues that the organization owes them $14 million. In 2005, APS agreed to surrender some of its own property tax income to fund the Beltline in exchange for fixed payments from the city,payments which have not been coming.

The cameras are meant to help Atlanta police identify motorists who pass stopped school buses despite the outstretched stop arm. APS is taking on most of the financial load of installing and maintaining the cameras, with the city incurring minimal costs on matters such as disputed citations, Atlanta InTown reports.

“The safety of our school children is a top priority for my Administration,” said Mayor Kasim Reed in a statement. “The installation of these external cameras will not only help to decrease the number of drivers who illegally pass school buses, but also hold offenders accountable for their actions. I look forward to working with APS on the installation and launch of this safety initiative.”

According to the city, 3,359 drivers illegally passed stopped school buses in Atlanta and Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties during one day in 2013.