Stop for school buses. It seems obvious, but apparently some people need to be reminded. #
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
People aren’t stopping for ambulances, fire trucks, and cops, either. There’s no excuse for this – no matter where you are going, it’s highly doubtful your urgency is greater than emergency vehicles. It’s highly doubtful that your impatience might save a life or lives. If your child were in danger and waiting for that help, you’d probably be pretty pissed if you knew that most drivers just don’t feel like they need to bother.
Might be interesting to have some cops trail the emergency vehicles and hand out a few tickets.
Just pull over – ALL THE WAY over.
As long as we’re going down the list, people, including UTS and CTS drivers and our own university and city police, are not stopping for red lights either. And I’ve never witnessed anyone being pulled over for this, so I’d be curious to see how many tickets are issued in this area for failure to stop for red lights and school buses and yield to pedestrians, and where those tickets occur.
It’s something that bothers me a lot, because to me it suggests a basic lack of concern in individuals — an attitude that getting somewhere a few minutes faster is more important than anyone else’s safety, and the belief that “it can’t happen to me.” Usually it takes an accident or a near-miss to give someone a wake-up call, and even then it’s often only temporary.
Out in the country, where I live, it’s the exact opposite. Everybody stops for EVERY school bus. It seems they need to be reminded of:
Of course, I’d rather people be more cautious than less.
If you observe CTS or City School buses ignoring stop signs or speeding contact transit division manager Bill Watterson.
970-3840
watterson@charlottesville.org
Provide him with specific information, time of day, location and bus number.
Informative feedback from the public is helpful.