Is it safer to have school bus stops set directly on the Wampanoag Trail, or should school officials move those stops onto the side streets where they used to be located?

For a group of parents who attended Thursday night's school committee meeting, the answer was simple: Move the bus stops off the Trail and onto the lesser-traveled side roads.

"I have a very hard time letting our child stand on the Trail," said Jamie Jennings, who lives on Kyle Street. "It doesn't matter what time of day — in the morning or at night. It's a completely unsafe place for any child to stand."

Some school officials agreed, but others were hesitant to call for an immediate change to the bus stops. Anna Clancy said she was not a school transportation expert and wanted to see what the professionals had to say. She said she would wait for the superintendent to order a second evaluation of the bus stop locations.

"I have kids that got on the bus for 17 years on County Road. I know it wasn't perfect, but it worked," Ms. Clancy said.

A year ago, school bus stops had been located on Pine Top Road, Kyle Street and Peck Avenue. But at the start of the current school year, officials moved the stops onto the Wampanoag Trail, stating that it was less safe for buses to try to pull off the side roads and re-enter traffic on the Wampanoag Trail. Officials also said that it was difficult for buses to navigate down Kyle Street and Peck Avenue because those roads are narrow.

But residents who live on Pine Top, Kyle and Peck challenged that reasoning. 

"The bus has always come down the street without incident, without difficulty," said resident Jennifer Reynolds. 

"I think the reason given about re-entering (traffic) is perhaps not as well thought-out. Many large vehicles come down Pine Top Road and, without incident, re-enter traffic (on the Trail). I think if bus drivers were not under pressure to maintain a tight schedule, and were afforded the time and patience to be cautious to safely re-enter it would not be an issue."

Barrington School Committee members John Alessandro and Gina Pine agreed with residents, stating that placing a bus stop on the Wampanoag Trail was not as safe as having the stop on the nearby side roads. 

"…there's no way anyone's saying that a stop on Pine Top or on Kyle and Peck is less safe than a stop on the Trail," said Mr. Alessandro. "It has to be safer. That's just common sense. It just seems, again, like common sense is getting thrown out the window. We're trying to do these efficiencies."

Some residents claimed that the school department was trading students' safety for shorter run times and more efficient bus routes. The residents said that the school department needs to place student safety as the top priority.

"I think I can speak for the parents who are here: we don't feel that the powers that be are addressing the situation seriously," said Ms. Jennings. "Something needs to be changed. The safety of our children needs to be the first priority in this situation."

Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said student safety is the district's top priority.

"If someone's saying my priority is efficiency over safety, that's wrong. My priority is safety," Mr. Messore said.

The superintendent said he is relying on the expertise of the safety officer for Ocean State Transportation and the school resource officer, both of whom conducted a site visit. Mr. Messore said those people determined that it was not safe for a bus to pull onto the Trail from the side roads.

'Scary situation'

Pine Top Road resident Michelle LeFort spoke in front of the school committee and described the scene at the new bus stop on the Wampanoag Trail. 

"I've been using the new bus stop since it started and you should know that routinely cars are not stopping. The bus's lights are flashing, the bus has stopped, kids are standing, and cars are continuing to go by," said Ms. LeFort. "When cars do stop, it can be a very scary situation. Cars will stop abruptly because they're not expecting it. I've seen cars stop in the other two (northbound) lanes."

Ms. LeFort said the bus stops on the Wampanoag Trail are dangerous for the schoolchildren and also for motorists. She said a stopped bus on the Trail can surprise some motorists as they navigate the curves just south of the town's community garden.

"We'd like to see it (the stop) moved off the Trail for the safety of other drivers and our children," she said.

Lauren Capizzo has two children who use the bus stops on the Trail. She told school committee members that she has seen many large vehicles travel down Kyle Street and Peck Avenue, and questions why a school bus would have problems doing the same.

"The trash company comes down the road. The plows come down. The fire department comes down," she said. "It's been indicated that the bus would get stuck… There's never been a time when that's happened."

Dr. Frank Capizzo said he has lived in Barrington since 1980 and is quite familiar with County Road. He said the Wampanoag Trail is a very busy road and having children wait for the school bus along the Trail puts the boys and girls in a dangerous situation.

"Please, I implore you to look at this again and make the right decision," he said. 

Another resident said he had done some research on the topic and could find no evidence supporting safety concerns for buses making a right hand turn onto a road. He did, however, find information stating that school bus stops should not be placed on high speed, multiple-lane roads.

Ms. Pine said she wanted the stops moved back to the original locations immediately.

"I think we've heard enough from a number of parents tonight about Pine Top and Peck," she said. "I think safety trumps over efficiency and buses getting there in 30 minutes. 

"I would like to see this implemented as soon as we can. I don't want to say we're going to revisit this. These kids are still at the stops and they're still at risk."

Mr. Alessandro said officials need to use their common sense when considering this situation. He said the traffic along the Trail travels at a very high rate of speed and creates a dangerous situation for anyone standing along the side of the road.

"I know I wouldn't like to stand out there," he said.

Mr. Alessandro said he spoke to the transportation coordinator and she seems to be very busy right now. He said she planned to check on the site on Wednesday, when students did not have school because of the primary elections. Upon hearing this, people in the audience reacted loudly with displeasure.

"That's when she has time," said Mr. Alessandro. "A lot of this stuff needs to get done. The person needs to stand out there and have cars go past them at 55 or 60 miles an hour and see it. It can't be done sitting in a car."

Mr. Alessandro later asked for more clarity on the issue. 

Mr. Messore told members of the school committee that he would go back and order new site visits to those bus stops. He also said he would speak with Barrington Police Chief John LaCross about the issue and report back to the committee.

"In running a school district, whether it's a bus or daily operation, before teaching and learning takes place, you need to make sure your students are in a safe environment," Mr. Messore said.