Massachusetts law now allows school districts to install bus-mounted cameras to issue fines against drivers who threaten kids near stopped school buses – now it's up to cities and towns need to formally adopt the new law to start using the new technology.
City Councils in Peabody and Salem are already making moves to do so – and they're offering an example of how other cities and towns across the Commonwealth can follow their lead.
"The ultimate goal is to change the behavior," Maria Scheri, a Peabody parent and safety advocate, told StreetsblogMASS. "Peabody has been really instrumental in getting this law passed – the mayor, the police, our safety task force that we started – our leaders have really stepped up."
First: contact your city or town hall
The newly-signed law, now known as Chapter 399 of the Acts of 2024, stipulates that "A city or town that accepts this section may install and operate a school bus violation detection monitoring system on a school bus to enforce violations."
That means that it will be up to local governments to decide whether they want to install the new school bus camera enforcement systems.
In Salem, the City Council could adopt the new law this week.
A proposed order on the city's Jan. 23 City Council agenda reads:
"ORDERED: That the City of Salem hereby accepts Chapter 339 (sic) of the Massachusetts Acts of 2024 enabling the city to install and operate a school bus violation detection monitoring system on a school bus to enforce violations pursuant to sections 14 and 14C of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90. Any system put in place shall be limited to monitoring and detecting violations of motor vehicle operators who fail to stop for a school bus."
Following in the footsteps of Peabody, Salem installed cameras on some of its school buses at the beginning of the current school year.
Between the first day of school and December's winter break, Salem's bus cameras recorded 3,371 suspected violations where drivers appear to have illegally passed a stopped bus.
“The data from Salem and Peabody’s pilot programs truly demonstrated the need for additional tools for enforcing traffic safety laws,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in a statement. “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.”
In Peabody, Mayor Ted Bettencourt told StreetsblogMASS that he intends to introduce a similar order in his own City Council next month.
“Peabody is very proud to have been a lead community in advocating for the school bus arm enforcement legislation, an action that I strongly believe will help cure dangerous driving and ultimately save lives. I will be moving forward with requesting the required city approvals to begin installation, implementation and enforcement as quickly as we can,” Mayor Bettencourt wrote in an email.
What if your town has a town meeting?
If you live in one of the 292 towns that legislate with an annual town meeting, you'll need to take a different approach. Town meeting season is coming up soon, with meetings between February and May, so if you want your town to install cameras in time for the next school year, you'll need to act quickly.
To get your town meeting to consider the new law, you'll need to submit a written request for a "warrant article," with signatures from at least 10 registered voters in your town (here's a guide on how to write and file a warrant article from the League of Women's Voters; you can also contact your town clerk for guidance or a sample warrant article request from a past town meeting).
Alternatively, you can ask your town's Select Board or School Committee to put a warrant article on the town meeting agenda.
StreetsblogMASS reader Paul Schlichtman, chair of the Town of Arlington School Committee, shared the warrant article language that he hopes to introduce at Arlington's town meeting this spring:
ACCEPTANCE OF LEGISLATION: School Bus Camera Enforcement Systems: To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 399 of the Acts of 2024, or any other applicable laws, to permit the installation, operation, and maintenance of school bus violation detection monitoring systems on school buses, or take any action related thereto.
Next: buy some cameras
Salem and Peabody also have a bit of a head-start over other municipalities because their buses already have some cameras installed, from a company called BusPatrol.
"BusPatrol is the top provider of this service, with around 35,000 buses across 18 states, about 90 percent of the market, so we expect to be growing our presence in Massachusetts," Steve Randazzo, the Chief Growth Officer of BusPatrol America, told StreetsblogMASS earlier this month.
After adopting the new law locally, cities and towns, along with their respective school boards, will need to decide how many cameras to buy, and from whom to buy them, in a regulated, competitive procurement process.
"We would hope to be selected as a vendor," said Randazzo. "And then the school board also has to approve the arrangement as well. There’s still a lot of collaboration to be had with cities and towns and school boards."
StreetsblogMASS aims to track other cities and towns around the commonwealth that adopt the new law. Let us know in the comment section below if your city or town council is making moves to do so.
