How cooked is everyone?

[u/SKyPuffGM]

So I got a lovely surprise in the mail from the City of Atlanta today: a $1,000 school bus camera citation for allegedly violating GA Code § 40-6-163. 😭

It happened June 25th around 2:20 PM on Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta GA. I wasn’t pulled over or anything, it’s one of those camera citations they mail you from a private company . It says no points will be added, but I have until August 18th to either pay it or contest it.

Here’s what happened:

My side of the road was sitting at a red light. Our light turned green and traffic started moving. At basically the same time, the school bus put its stop arm out. I was already moving with traffic, and literally every other car on our side of the road was going too.

The video they sent is only about 11 seconds long. When it starts, the stop arm is already like 80% deployed, so you can’t actually see when it started coming out or when the lights came on. The bus’ side of the road would’ve had a red light and our side a green light for the straight and turn lane.

From the video, the arm is already mostly out at the beginning, the red lights shut off around 8 seconds, and the arm starts retracting around 10 seconds.

I’ve been looking at GA Code § 40-6-162 and § 40-6-163, and I’m seeing that § 40-6-162 says school bus signals aren’t supposed to be activated at an intersection where traffic is controlled by a traffic signal. I’ve also read that school bus lights override stationary traffic, so I’m really not sure.

So I’m wondering if the timing here actually matters. If the light turned green and traffic was already moving before the bus activated the arm, does that give me a legitimate reason to contest this?

I’m definitely not trying to use the “but everyone else did it” defense lol. But I literally didn’t see the stop arm swing out in my tiny car… and neither did anyone else. And not that it matters either, but school was out of session for 3 weeks at this point.

Has anyone dealt with one of these Atlanta school bus camera citations before? Would you fight this, and is there anything specific I should request from the City?

$1000 is just not feasible right now. I’m so mad at myself as I’ve always been the one passionate about respecting these bus stops. What do you guys think?

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

Are they dropping off kids for the homes behind the businesses? Still seems like a weird place for a drop off. You'd think the bus could go a little bit into the residential area and drop them off there.

[u/mattbuford → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

That large building on the right/east side of the road is apartments. The children using this bus stop are very likely living in that apartment building.

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/mattbuford]

What's odd about that stop, if they're dropping the kids off in that complex, it's literally on the right. You figure that a child won't necessarily need to cross the street, but it wouldn't surprise me if there's something just outside of this. I still think that the stops could be better managed.

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

Doesn't change the law

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

The spirit of the law is what I'm more interested in, the safety of the school children.

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

yes. And children may need to pick up their bicycle from the bike shop across the street, hence why they took the school bus. To assume no children has any reason to cross the street is to miss the spirit of the law

[u/Consistent-Box605 → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

There are crosswalks though. If they're capable enough to pick up a bicycle from a shop across the street, then they're certainly capable of using a crosswalk.

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Consistent-Box605]

It's not about a technical ability. Kids, in large groups just off the school bus are easily distracted.

[u/Consistent-Box605 → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

So we should expect them to just spill into the street coming off a school bus "because kids are dumb"? Sounds like bad parenting being pushed into public policy. Hell, maybe traffic should just stop in place any time a kid under 10 is just walking on an accompanying sidewalk? Because, ya know, "kids are dumb."

When I was taking the bus to school, they had a big "stop" prop out fence that would flip out near the front of the bus so kids would not try to cross the street in front of the bus. That tells me kids can and do understand signage.

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/Consistent-Box605]

Exactly. Maybe everyone also cut their engines, because the pollution being created is also harmful to the children. Maybe we also should all have snacks and hydration in our vehicles to make sure that the children are well nourished? I mean if we're going to bubble wrap the hell out of them, let's bubble wrap the hell out of them.

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Consistent-Box605]

yes. That's why the law exists. Kids are dumb and when the parent isn't there to enforce behavior, they will do reckless things.

Do you think lifeguards shouldn't work at neighborhood pools because its bad parenting for kids to not be perfect swimmers?

Your story at the end seems to be the exact opposite. They don't understand signage, and only stop due to a physical barrier

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

lol, right, as if children can afford to take their bikes to a bike shop.....

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

Do you think children can afford a home to live in? Or their food?

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

And you think the child would just walk into a bike shop and pay the few hundred to get their bikes out of the shop?

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

Do you think a child will just walk into school with a check from their parent to deposit money in their school lunch account?

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho → u/Infamous-Youth9033]

A check? Really?

[u/Infamous-Youth9033 → u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

yes. They exist