Smile! You may be on Canyons camera.
In late February, a bus in Canyons District’s fleet starting making the rounds in the District, capturing capturing clear-as-day footage of the motorists who aren’t stopping for the bus’ flashing red lights and stop sign. The infrared system, with 13 external and internal cameras, gives the Transportation Services Department an all-around-the-bus look at vehicles and pedestrians, no matter the time or condition.
CSD is making history with this bus, too. The District is among the first to use the 13-camera system.
Each day, the bus that’s outfitted with the system takes a different route so there is no way for scofflaws to know how to avoid getting caught. While no citations have been issued as a result of the footage, the District is recording images for possible referral to law enforcement.
On one of the first days on the road with the system, the morning routes yielded footage of a dozen cars racing by the buses that had flashing red lights and an extended stop sign. The District has not purchased this system.
As noted in the Salt Lake Tribune, it’s a pilot to see how much the District could improve the safety of our children who ride our buses. The bus with the system will make the rounds around CSD until the first week of April.
Those caught blowing past a stopped school bus face a stiff penalty: the class C misdemeanor carries with it a $100 fine for the first offense, $200 for the second within three years of the first, and $500 for a third offense within three years of the second.
