What Are Salem's Most Dangerous School Bus Stops For Students?

SALEM, MA — As data from school bus stop-arm camera pilot programs in Salem and Peabody recently paved the way for the passage of a long-stalled state law allowing that footage to be used in issuing citations to drivers who do not stop for buses dropping off or picking up students, the Salem locations where the most violations were recorded during the first three months of the school year were revealed this week.

• Peabody, Salem Bus Camera Safety Campaign Moves Law To Governor's Desk

Bus Patrol said that between Sept. 4 and Dec. 30, stop-arm cameras recorded 3,371 suspected violations throughout the city. The company said these violations are actual estimates referring to the number of cars that are believed to have illegally passed a stopped bus based on the camera
footage and an initial human review.

The top five locations with suspected violations were:

• Loring Avenue and Lafayette Street (Rt. 1A): The area of Loring Avenue and Lafayette Street (Rt. 1A) saw 732 suspected violations, significantly more than double the next location.
• North Street and Mason Street (RT. 114): The area of North Street and Mason Street saw 308 suspected violations.
• Boston Street and Prospect Avenue: The Boston Street-Prospect Avenue area saw 265 suspected violations.
• Lafayette Street and Chase Street: Perhaps most alarming, the area of Lafayette Street and Chase Street – directly in front of the Saltonstall School – saw 179 violations.
• Marlborough Road near McGrath Park: The area of Marlborough Road from Vista Avenue to McGrath Park saw 164 violations.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the legislation, which languished on Beacon Hill for more than a decade, into law on Friday.

"The data from Salem and Peabody's pilot programs truly demonstrated the need for additional tools for enforcing traffic safety laws, and I'm grateful to the Massachusetts legislature and the Healey-Driscoll administration for moving this new law forward," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "Here in Salem we take the safety of our kids very seriously and plan to utilize this new enforcement mechanism to better protect them — and all road users.

"Do not pass a stopped bus with its stop sign arm extended, whether you're behind the bus or approaching it. It is illegal, it is dangerous, and, thanks to this new law, it is going to get you a substantial citation."

• Salem City Council Renews Expanded Camera Traffic Law Enforcement Push

The Salem City Council last week also voted to resubmit a home-rule petition to the State House requesting the ability to use automated radar to issue speeding tickets for those exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour in school zones. A similar home-rule petition was not taken up before it expired at the end of the last legislative session.

"Our foremost priority as a school system is keeping our students safe so that they can thrive as learners in our classrooms," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said. "This new legislation supports our ability to protect our youth from distracted drivers who, based on video evidence, consistently ignore stop-arm cameras. Our bus drivers have asked for our help and now we are able to take significant steps to respond to their legitimate concerns."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)