Drivers Fail To Stop For School Bus Almost Daily In Montclair: PD

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s been more than half a year since the Montclair Police Department began shadowing school buses in an attempt to keep local students safe. In that time, officers have given out 175 traffic summonses for failing to halt for a stopped school bus… nearly a ticket a day.

On Thursday, the MPD gave residents an update on its ongoing School Bus Safety Program, which was launched in November 2018.

“Since Nov. 1, we have issued approximately 175 summonses for failing to stop for a stopped school bus,” police stated. “We do realize this is a very serious problem and will continue with enforcement until the end of the school year.”

According to the MPD, officers will step up their public awareness campaign in August.

“We have been communicating with the Department of Transportation and are working on several events,” police stated.

Anyone who wants to report “problem areas” in the township can contact the Montclair Police Traffic Bureau at (973) 509-4738, authorities said.

The MPD announcement on social media got several supportive comments. Seen online:

• “THANK YOU! It is terrifying when I witness that.”
• “Thank you so much for doing this. As you know and are doing your best to deal with, Grove Street has long been a problem area. Just today I saw an MPD cruiser trailing my kid’s bus looking for violators. We appreciate this essential safety work so much!”
• “I'm SO glad to read this! I've been meeting school buses in this town for 13 years, and the problem has definitely gone from bad to completely shocking. Kudos for addressing it so aggressively now.”

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