The City School District of Albany joined with Mayor Kathy Sheehan and transportation partners Monday to announce an important new initiative to improve traffic safety for our students and our community.
is installing stop-arm cameras on all First Student buses that serve district schools. Coupled with the school speed-zone cameras the city implemented a year ago, this is another significant step toward making Albany’s roads safer for children on their way to and from school each day.
“Keeping a community safe is a team effort, and our school district is fortunate to be able to work together with these outstanding leaders toward that goal,” Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said during a news conference at Eagle Point Elementary School.
“I want to thank our Board of Education for its leadership on this important safety initiative. I also am grateful to Mayor Sheehan and the City of Albany, as well as our partners at BusPatrol and First Student.”
Board Vice President Tabetha Wilson called the program “a smart, proactive step toward safer roads and a stronger, safer community.”
“As the mom of two young children, this hits very close to home for me,” Wilson said. “The impatient and distracted actions that motorists take on our roads everyday risk the lives of the thousands of children we serve.”
It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus on any type of road when the bus’ red lights are flashing and its front safety arm is deployed. Monday’s announcement began a month-long warning period for stop-arm cameras in Albany. Motorists caught on bus video passing a stopped school bus during that time will receive a warning notice.
Beginning Oct. 20, BusPatrol will issue citations for such violations, with fines being paid to the city. The fine structure is .
- First offense – $250
- Second offense – $275
- Third offense – $300
That scale resets every 18 months.
According to data reported by Albany County from stop-arm camera programs in other communities, 94% of first-time offenders do not receive a second citation.
“This program works,” Hochreiter said. “Just as we have seen with the speed-zone cameras, it helps change behavior, and, most importantly, it helps save lives.”