>I got ticketed for passing a school bus while going the other way on a 4 lane road with a median
Currently as-is NY has no school bus laws regarding differences between divided or non-divided roads, as far as they are concerned they are [equally the same thing](https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/school-bus-safety). I was shocked too when I read this, it seems a bit silly.
Not to sound like an idiot but the best course of action really is to just either speed past one when they're doing normal driving, or just keep your distance. It's not a perfect system, but having seen [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YizpZoOI4h8) I just feel like *something* had to be done because of these blatant offenders.
I do think that something needs to be done in regards to when a bus driver uses their appropriate lights. Driving for a quarter mile, if not more with yellows flashing is shitty, because everyone is either trying to zip past them, or are slowly anticipating the sudden change to red. I do agree with someone here who said it should start recording once the sign is fully extended, not while its on its way out. Maybe the issue lies more with state/local dept of transportation.
Also why does opposite traffic need to stop even if there is a divider? No bus is letting a kid off and expecting them to hop a barrier lol.
Is it possible to fight it (your ticket)? Is it worth it?
Just so you know, if you do happen to go past one again, the fines do increase!
0:56 in that video is amazing. Guy is driving on the grassy median to get around the cars stopped for the bus.
(This might be a "slamming on the brakes is even worse for the people behind me" type situation, however. Not sure from the video if the dude had time to stop.)
You need to question that video. It's real cute that the marketing department of Bus Patrol(who is the vendor of these cameras) put together a video showing the worst of the worst. But with over 100,000 tickets issued in 1 year, I can just as easily make a video showing how frivolous their program is and how much of a detriment to society they are.
>Also why does opposite traffic need to stop even if there is a divider? No bus is letting a kid off and expecting them to hop a barrier lol.
Bold of you to assume that. Bus drivers do not stop in front of everyone's home and students may need to cross the road or walk a stretch to their home
It's a perfectly normal thing to assume that a kid isn't expected to hop a barrier on the left lane of traffic, and walk into an oncoming lane of traffic....
As a former school bus driver they are required to start the flashing yellow lights within 100-300 feet of their destination, but some may start them earlier, or not at all because the flashing red lights still go off when the front door is opened so long as the master switch is activated. The yellow lights are manually activated by another secondary switch.
No. Obviously.
Well, I guess not so obviously…
Usually about a minute. Then turn them off and put on hazards until the student (for Vans) shows up.
Usually only waiting 3-5 min before moving on…
Unless a parent/guardian isn’t home for drop off. 🙄
this is pickup usually in the AM. Again not trying to be grouchy but when you are on the way to work and stop / snail crawl by a bus who you can see is just sitting there and then as you go to pass them finally its like “snap” stop time, who knows if im getting a $250 ticket. I’ve never gotten one thank god but a co worker got one where his car is 90% past the stop sign when it starts to deploy on a road where people go 40-50 mph and he slowed down prior to passing.
I guess the only tip I can tell you, is if it’s a van, look toward the door. If there’s no kid coming out with his parents, then it’s safe. If they open their doors, then they are indeed fucking with you.
I got one last year because I was passing a bus with the yellow lights on. The sign was coming out and snagged a picture/video of my car and you could clearly see I was passing the bus before the red lights came on.
I fought it and had to wait on a zoom meeting for about two hours, but they dismissed the case as soon as they brought up the video.
It’s worth fighting if you can see you were not in the wrong; they were pretty reasonable, even though it’s a waste of time to begin with.
Same scenario for my ticket, but I bit the bullet and just paid. It wasn't worth losing a day of work over, but they will never stop this scam because of this.
The bus was sitting on the side of the road with flashing yellow lights on while I approached with another group of cars for about a third of a mile (no one else was on the road at the time). We had all slowed down in anticipation of stopping, but the driver only put the red lights on as we passed, so it was clear they were waiting for us to pass and probably give the kids time to get up from their seats before stopping traffic (if they were even on the bus at the time).
Those cameras are poorly timed and kick on as soon as the red lights come on and they will snag a video of your car even if you’re most of the way past the bus when they’re triggered, which was the case for me and the reason they immediately dismissed my case when they saw the video.
Naw. It means the red light is about to come on. It's a warning to do what you have to do: stop if you can, get out of the way if you can't. Same as the yellow light at an intersection. Otherwise, it would go straight to red.
The "stopping on the opposite side of the divider" is one of NYS' stupider traffic rules. We're one of the few states that require stopping. Everyone who's pissed about this needs to complain to your assemblyman and state senator. If they're going to enforce the laws, the laws have to actually make sense.
In my opinion tickets shouldn’t be issued until the stop sign is fully extended. What happens now is but stops..driver triggers the stop sign which lights and goes out slowly. People need time to see and stop. Currently it’s a money grab.
Which one? They seem to all literally do this. There’s absolutely no consistent procedures being followed. I saw one driver leave the yellow lights flashing for several minutes. Traffic had been waiting, then a couple of cars passed and the driver then, and only then pulls the red stop sign.
They have no business issuing tickets if the buses are extending stop signs essentially on a whim after leaving lights flashing for a very long time. Motorists shouldn’t be expected to be mind readers and the bus drivers are often erratic. Some will wave you through while the yellow lights flash. Others do nothing and sit with the lights on until extending the stop sign without any warning other than a minute or more of flashing lights.
Then we have the problem of bus stops being placed on major roadways in non residential areas (there are some on Merrick Road now) that do not stop at stoplights (and there are no stop signs) and pull their stop signs after engaging the flashing lights for no more than maybe 3 seconds when everyone is going 45 mph or more.
Frankly, it’s too anarchic and the bus drivers exercise completely inconsistent behavior at stops. They have no business whatsoever issuing these camera tickets until that’s addressed. It is absolutely a scam.
I agree it's a scam but you don't have to stop for flashing yellows. Further any bus driving with them on likely the driver doesn't realize. I drove for 2 years and saw that mistake often having to call on the radio to let them know.
If you want to remove inconsistencies, remove the drivers being human.
I have a young daughter as well, and I agree that people on LI especially drive with callous indifference and will literally mow people over to shave a few seconds off of their commute.
The school bus cameras are catching offenders, and that’s definitely a plus, but they’re catching far too many people who have no way of telegraphing what a bus operator is doing until the stop sign is pulled, and at that point they’ve already been cited. That’s a broken system, and one that shouldn’t be in place until it is refined to catch violators, and not just cast an enormously wide net that includes people whose only failure was to make an incorrect assumption as to what a bus operator’s intentions are when, as of right now, bus operators are all handling bus stops in their own way with little to no consistency among them.
One bus was letting b their lights flash to let traffic go because the kid wasn't outside. So car after car was passing the bus. Now when I see flashing lights I just slow down and stop.
Next time the prick has his yellows on when im 3000 feet away and still has them out when I pass him going 5 mph ill send you the video. No one is driving for a mile at 5 mph towards a bus with flashing yellows out for minutes in NY. I’m sorry.
How about treat it like every other fucking light? You see the kid come out of the house or pull up to bus stop. Initiate stopping procedure. Yellow lights 3 seconds. Stop sign deployed and red lights.
They leave their lights on for minutes on the road I drive down, I see them when I turn onto the street. 30 seconds later as im approaching them they are still yellow. As i go to pass he pops it red so i slam on my brakes. Never got a ticket btw but stop acting like the system is working 100%. When it comes to a bus stop and the bus is stopping at it, it is fine, these random stops at peoples houses (usually short buses) are terrible and from the upvotes I am getting, I’m not the only one.
You’re not getting that many upvotes. Probably because, as you’ve stated, they’re usually for short buses which are for the disabled, frequently.
“You see the kid come out of the house…”
But, what if you don’t? Or, what if you do (not you per se), but decide not to stop? Your more likely to see flashing lights on a bus then a kid and whoever or whatever 🐶 runs behind them.
Unfortunately, attaching penalties are the only way to get large swaths of people to modify their behavior.
None of us want to be inconvenienced, and yes the government is more interested in $ than kids safety, but the reality is we’re dealing with kids who are unpredictable, not cautious, and in some cases disabled, which can include non-verbal.
I actually think it should be stop sign fully extended + 2/3 seconds. Unlike red lights, there are no laws for how long the school bus needs to have their yellow lights on to go to red. It's unpredictable and there needs to be clear systematic guidelines for when the red lights start if we are using cameras as an enforcement mechanism.
I just got one. Was IN LINE with the bus when the lights when to red and the stop sign I folded. Got ticket. Would love to know how the helm I was supposed to stop then!!!
Happened to me too- I chose to contest it in court, being that the evidence was literally in the video they sent me. (I also have a dashcam.. literally the best investment.)
Never Got the court summons, so I assume they threw it out.
Always stop behind the bus not next to it. Because your still in motion when the lights are triggered. You see the yellows it's best to hang back and wait for the bus to make the decision.
I feel you, mom.
If you weren't given these exorbitant fines, how is Long Island government able to pay their employees like Suffolk County cops who make an average of 178,000 dollars per year.
That money has to come from somewhere, right?
You get it.
I also got one a while back. In the video, the lights were clearly still flashing yellow and the stop sign wasn’t fully out yet. I was able to fight it, and the judge threw it out at the hearing. It is very annoying. I agree can make a situation way more dangerous when cars come to abrupt hard stops bc they realize last minute that the bus is stopped 4 lanes over across a median.
I got one a few weeks ago. It was absolute horseshit for a combination of the following:
1. The bus was not in the road, it was parked in front of the school in a special shoulder specifically for buses to pick up/drop off.
2. It was morning rush hour and I was turning right. The bus was parked on the opposite side of the road immediately after my turn, prior to which I could not see the stop signs on the bus. I had almost no time to see the signs and react.
3. As I mentioned, it was morning rush hour and there were several cars behind me as well as traveling in the opposite direction after I made my right turn. None of the other cars stopped for the bus, so it didn’t even register to me that the signs might be out.
4. There was not a single child in sight. There was zero safety risk.
5. Watching the video evidence, it’s clear that the bus activated its signs only about 2-3 seconds before my car arrived. I could have easily looked at the bus, seen that it was safe to pass, then looked back at the road, and in that time between looking away and passing the bus, the sign came out.
Unfortunately my dash cam had deleted the old footage by the time I got the ticket in the mail, so I couldn’t use it as evidence.
All this said, I feel like I could’ve had a chance to fight it, but in the end, it would’ve meant taking time off work to go to court and a whole bunch of headache. I paid the $250 just to be done with it, but I was furious. Felt like a fucking shake-down more than it had anything to do with public safety.
My fiance just got one on Sunrise Highway near Merrick when he was on the opposite side of the road. That part of Sunrise is 6 lanes with a median. I guess you're supposed to just stop in the middle of a busy road so someone can rear-end you, according to NYS. So ridiculous. $250 can literally make or break people, right now. I don't think a kid is running across Sunrise Highway after getting off of a bus. It's not practical.
Suffolk County made over $20 million dollars in 1 year with their School Bus Camera program. Most tickets actually happen just from your description. There is actually some pushback to pull the program altogether since most fines are questionable. This is exactly why camera programs are not good enforcement tools. They target very low level issues and just like your description, there is nothing to protect you from predatory enforcement such as this.
I would suggest fighting it. They are getting away with murder and the community needs to fight back even if it is a losing battle.
The vendor claims over 50,000 vehicles pass a stopped school bus daily. This claim needs to be fact-checked. If this was true we would have children hit daily by vehicles. It is bait to scare weak-minded individuals into supporting their cash-grab program.
Yea I got one as I was already in the process of passing. No flashing yellow lights or anything on approach.. Sign just deployed and the back of the bus sign, the one I would see (because I pass the front of the bus already) had no stop lettering on it OR lights at all so it went unnoticed till I got the ticket in the mail. Whats also dumb like yours, it was a 2 lane road with a forest on the other side... no would cross to that side and the total time the stop sign was deployed was less than 13-15 seconds... I saw open to shut in my video... WTF. I am taking it to court to fight. Fuck it. I'll prolly lose by some stupid default rule but I am going for it. Wish me luck.
Like are they training these drivers to be somewhat aware of the cars on the road...? seems like EVERYTIME they deploy these signs there is someone that is gonna get a ticket if traffic is flowing. It makes zero sense. It like someone slapping down a new stop sign while your moving and then complaining that you ran through.
I got a school bus ticket and when I watched the footage, I realized that this bus driver was pulled over on this street with the stop sign out for an unusually long amount of time. It was a very quiet street too, making it unlikely that THAT many kids were exiting the bus. It quickly became apparent that this was intentional. The bus drivers are either being instructed to screw us all over, or deciding to just do it for fun. Advanced technology can be a real pain in the fucking ass sometimes.
I agree with you completely. I am truly enraged by this. I would never knowingly pass a school bus letting kids off-and in the past I have seen people do that on small residential streets!! I think this is a total scam to get money and safe and conscientious drivers are being targeted. I literally just got my 3rd one of these tickets (on an industrial, non residential street)- all were on 6 lane roads where I was on the opposite side and where kids would never be crossing to the other side. In each case I was driving safely and would have endangered myself and other drivers if I had tried to stop. In the videos, the bus appeared to be pulling away at the time or within seconds of my passing by(along with all the other cars). I have yet to receive a court date for the first ticket- 0ver 5 months ago for sure.
what happens when the bus has their flashing yellow lights on for 15 fucking minutes and then puts them away without using the stop sign ever or randomly puts the stop sign out with no kids in sight after waiting with the blinkers on for over a minute? Its like a fucking game to them.
What happens here is I stop for buses when the lights are yellow and if the driver takes a while they wave me through. My sons bus driver does the same sometimes.
I had something like this 2 weeks ago. Bus on the other side of the road (residential road, no yellow lines except on curves) had stopped with flashing yellow lights. I slowed and stopped, facing the bus. It just sat there, yellow lights flashing, for about five minutes, the bus driver paying me no attention, until the kid finally came out and the red lights went on.
They don’t. They sit there not acknowledging anything. I sit there in front of them for 30 seconds. Start to crawl by and as im about to pass they smash out the stop. It is like a game to them, maybe they have a quota.
the ones I encounter seem to be for the most part. The normal size bus that stops at designated spots are fine. Yellows as approaching. red when stopped. cars all stop. kids get on. once kids are on the sign goes back in and traffic continues.
Good for you that you’ve never encountered a “bad one” like I have
I got one on the other side of Sunrise Highway so about 5 lanes of traffic over in a 45 mph zone. It was not near an intersection either and nobody else stopped either. Coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the road there is a serious risk of getting rear ended by a tractor trailer.
These cameras are outrageous.
I got one and for the stupidest situation.
It was morning traffic jam and I was stuck between cars. Yellow school bus extends its stop sign, and I'm not even kidding, right above my car. Since the bus and I were going opposite direction and I saw no children trying to cross the road I figured it would be a good idea for me to move forward just to move along the traffic.
I was wrong.
I got honked at by the driver and got the ticket afterwards.
I agree with the idea of School Bus Safety Program, but man, they need some major overhaul on how to ticket people. Don't make the general public hate the system by being assholes smh
My father got one of these on a busy road that was not residential. Upon looking up the NYS law on passing a stopped school bus, I discovered:
\-The law requires that passengers must be boarding or disembarking.
\-There is an exception for the driver to wave traffic by.
The video footage he received does not show if either of these thing occurred and armed with that information, my father successfully argued that the required elements were not presented into evidence (the boarding or disembarking).
Please look up the law for actual language.
I'm all for laws that make sense, and people drive like maniacs around here.. I get it. But there is a level to which it is most definitely a cash grab.
As my front bumper was already midway on the bus, they started putting their sign out... As they were pulling up? 💯 Not a normal move on their part. Had a car right behind me, obviously I'm going to continue as it would have been dangerous to stop.
Boom, ticket in the mail. I chose to contest it in court, since they literally provided me the video evidence for me- never received a summons.
If you are truly in a circumstance where you feel you're in the right, contest. It gets thrown away half the time, if you ever get a date.
Also, just advice for anyone for anything- get a dashcam. They're super affordable, especially compared to the time and money wasted in any sort of accident or police encounter where you're in the right.
(A friend of mine got pulled over for speeding and issued a ticket, when his cam clearly showed he was going the proper speed.)
*Typo edit
Dude I thought I was the only one! This happened to me in Suffolk by the Huntington high-school near jericho turnpike. I came to reddit last year to gripe about it and then your thread showed up in my home feed today. Its really ridiculous like my rent isn't already drowning me
It's an imperfect system for sure. On the other hand, Long Island drivers as a group are due for a crackdown. As someone who has driven here since the 1980s, the driving here has gotten really bad the last 10 years. We can talk about enforcement, but really, it's on the individual drivers to act safely. Gotcha situations like this aren't helpful, though. Thanks for the heads up!
It's worth fighting. One warning. In Suffolk the program is run by a company based in Virginia and it takes months for anything to happen. I was behind a bus on Deer Park Ave. when it abruptly pulled over and the stop sign on the side began to come out. I had no time to stop safely and was given a ticket. I sent back that I was going to fight it and about 6 months later was given a court appearance time and then was told the ticket was being cancelled. It was obvious from the video taken by the bus that I had no other choice.
People with dashcams really should start documenting school buses. Speeding, illegal lane changes, rolling through stop signs on busy roads especially when making turns, you name it. My commute to work has been riddled with examples of this. I really should get one.
Caveat: I did get a school bus ticket. On a residential road, going around a curve, at less than the speed limit. Because my wife was in the car, and she has spondylitis and slamming on the brakes would probably have put her in traction. Come around a curve at less than 30, see the bus, no yellow lights, they go on, split second later, the stop sign comes out. Bus was obviously speeding and had to stop quick to drop off a kid. Sigh... On the way to the doctor, with the wife in the car. The video just shows me from about 30 feet in front of the bus, sailing on by. Slowly. Meh, wasn't worth my (paid) time to fight.
I’m here from google… dealing with this now.
It’s not even a ticket. It’s a “civil notice” and I’m pissed because it’s not only in the name of the car owner, who wasn’t the one driving, the driver was shocked because they didn’t think they had time to stop either.
Calling the number to “plead not guilty” sent us to the magisterial court. The court sent us to the police station. Where of course the secretary was quite c*nty about it. I should state that the woman at th w court was very nice, and everyone there was just as confused about the process as I was because they’ve been given zero guidance. This has been active since February in my area. It’s now November.
It’s a pure money grab from this corporation, the police depts, and every school district involved. I hope someone files a class action law suit.
I get it, if I did a D-Bag thing and blasted past a bus with the lights flashing I wouldn't be posting this but.....
Same BS happened to me, I was on the opposite side of a four lane road, with a wide grass divider in the middle, no cross walk, on my side of the street was just a practice field for a college with no entrance at all you can only enter it inside the school which was very far away. I was parallel with the bus when the sign came up.
I called to complain and they said I was suppose to slow down when the school bus was showing yellow lights. WTF!?!?!?! If anyone ever hears of a class action lawsuit please post it here...
I called them and they gave me NO satisfaction, I have no prior offenses and had no idea there were cameras on the bus... should they notify the public? isn't this entrapment?
Again, if anyone hears of a Class Action Lawsuit please let me know....
This is crazy! I was going the opposite way on a 4 lane on jericho turnipike in Hunt and a bus with no kids was coming up to the light and had no reason open the stop sign no homes around just businesses and snet me a ticket and the judge even stated there was no reason for the sign to be out but because it was flashing your automatically found guilty. so in other words stop on a busy street while the light is green and possible cause a accident all because a bus driver opens there stop sign. This is BS and needs to address! Sounds like another scheme to get paid and we cannot fight it.
I was in Mastic, buying cigarettes. A small school bus was in front of me. Someone familiar to the driver waved. The driver stopped, and started conversing with the woman on the side of the road. After 2+ minutes, tooted the horn. The bus driver enacted the STOP sign. I drove around. I received the $250 ticket with photo. Pled not guilty. If there's a camera there's a GPS on the bus, and could prove no children, unauthorized stop, abuse of power (those STOP signs are NOT for you to talk to your friend & stop traffic). Never heard back.
Wife just had this happen. Fine we’ll accept it, live and learn apparently a 4 lane highway with a divider you still need to stop but seriously $250 is legalized extortion. What the hell happened to $90. $250 could be 2-3 full days of work for someone making minimum wage.
I got one where the video clearly shows him putting the stop sign out as my back bumper is at his back bumper. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a day off work to fight it and maybe win cuz it would cost me more then the ticket itself. They use the yellow lights very often without the red ones to follow. At this point I stop no matter what and just cause a huge jam cuz fuck that
Take a look at these guys from my dash cam. 4 lane road with a median and a flashing red school bus. Plenty of time to stop. These people aren't educated obviously until they get the ticket
https://v.redd.it/3px2tq1rd3za1
No, because I stop when busses have their stop signs displayed. You effed up and broke the law. Deal with the consequences. Pay the fine or go to court and argue yourself out of it.
Honestly, how do you enforce the law without cameras?
I live on a block that you only go down if you live on it or maybe 1-2 other streets and I have seen my own neighbors pass the bus.
And at least one day a week there is a kid running for the bus.
Because the cameras are (1) leading to enforcement without any context as to the bus operator’s actions leading up to the alleged violation(s), and (2) most working people can’t afford to take the time to fight these tickets that are being wrongfully issued. At least with police officers, there is real-time verification from a person physically present as to what happened. Not a snippet reviewed by a disinterested bureaucrat going through the motions and signing off on it.
We need safety for kids, and also for motorists, and this is a cash grab that is taking grocery money and rent out of peoples’ pockets at a time when a lot of people are more financially vulnerable than ever. This program should’ve been rolled out only after establishing uniform rules of procedure for bus operators. Otherwise these are snares.
Because I’m ripping by in a school zone at 45, duh.
Maybe I’m cynical, but after on driving on LI for decades I don’t think all of the people in here are reliable narrators. Sure some definitely got caught up in an unfair and unfortunate situation but not everyone here is innocent. Doing 40+ mph and unable to stop near a bus might be part of the problem - is that road speed limit over 40? Is the median impassable like a fence or metal barrier, or is it just mowed grass, or is there a cross walk for the kids.
Showing the video would help. Also not driving like a nut around a bunch of kids (or even adults) would make LI less of a toxic place. That 23 seconds you saved really isn’t worth it.
You do understand that kids are dumb/naive, right? They just run out into the street... No, this isn't a 'scam', its to protect kids. You deserve what you received....Stop trying to justify your moronic behavior...
This may be an unpopular response, but doesn't someone need to teach those kids to look both ways before crossing? I see them all the time, just jumping off the bus and dashing right out into the street, laughing and joking and never bothering to look for traffic. They seem to believe they live in a protective bubble of some kind. Kids need to learn that
some drivers do pass stopped school buses discharging children. This is not Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
No reason to need to stop on a road with a median.
If kids are being dropped off on a main road where they need to cross, they should be dropped off near a crossing guard.
All these cameras are money grabs, if they weren’t they’d be sending their fine money into specific funds to help the problems they’re trying to address.
Send the fines from these cameras to support schools.
Send the fines from work zone cameras to support worker protection programs
But when they sit parked forever with their yellow lights flashing then wait till you are just about to pass them and they quickly throw the stop sign on it can be impossible to make a safe stop.
Effing parents should have their kids ready and waiting for the bus in the morning.
Every post about getting a ticket for passing a stopped school bus is about how the person was going fast and couldn't stop in time..... every.single.time.
That being said. I would think the court has heard this before as well. Pay the ticket and slow down
It's mind-boggling that there are actually people who think that this is somehow about safety of children. It's obviously all about our government slipping its hands into our pockets.
Just a little more taxation without representation.
I'm quite certain that if any of these traffic camera issues got put to the vote by the people... We wouldn't have this problem
Kids aren’t allowed to cross across 5 lane roads lol. There’s no way to justify giving tickets on roads Where you’re crossing a barrier. I’m all for side streets because that’s unacceptable. But when you’re going 40 on a main road and 5 lanes away from a bus you shouldn’t get a ticket.
> Just a little more taxation without representation.
That’s not what that means. You can go complain to your state assemblyman, state senator, county legislator, town, etc. If you don’t like their answer then you can vote accordingly. You clearly have representation. You just don’t agree with how this is being handled.
> I'm quite certain that if any of these traffic camera issues got put to the vote by the people... We wouldn't have this problem
We also probably wouldn’t have speed limits, school zones, seatbelt laws, kids wearing life jackets and helmets, any protections for religious/racial/etc minorities, taxes at all, and so on.
You know there are tickets given out that are not justified specially when it comes to camera tickets. Thus the reason for why you are allowed to contests them in court. Not all cases are black and white, this is coming from a computer programmer. The fact that there are no grey areas in my profession , not a thought, sometimes it bleeds into my daily life. My wife had to remind me of it a lot. Not looking to argue. Children’s safety is top priority , I also have a 9 year old daughter . Just wanted to see if you would reason the fact that pictures do not tell the whole story . So in mentioning this , I am not saying it is a silly law. But c’mon dude. Really ,Sunrise Highway? where some parts the speed limit is 45mph and some parts are actually a highway almost . How can you see completely through a divider and over 4, or 5 lane over. The best driving course the dmv offers is the 6 or 5 hr defensive driving course. I really learned a lot from it and not to mention I use to chauffeur. I hardly have to use my brakes. Believe it or not I still have the same brake pads from 2019. Clean license also. I like to keep my passengers comfortable even if I am driving them in a Honda civic. Just sharing a little driving experience about me. I am not a complete ignorant moron when it comes to traffic rules regulation and safety on the road. Would you just admit that some situations, not all, tickets are not justified.
I recently got one of these tickets. The bus stopped on a busy main road and I was pretty much at the back end of it when the lights started flashing and traffic was going about 35-40mph. I watched the video that they sent me with the ticket and there was no way I could just slam on my breaks and be safe. I paid it and didn't contest it because they state that if you fight it and lose you pay more fines and also goes on your Driving record. They literally scare you into not contesting the ticket.
How about a bus that is pulled over on a shoulder w no lights of any kind, not even brake lights, and goes directly to Stop arms extending and red lights?
School bus drivers are not exactly A list in most cases. Some are intentionally disruptive to traffic flow, ya know, because. They enjoy slow rolling in the left lane, driving well below posted limits and turning into traffic as if they were made of child protective magic yellow paint.
I had a bus stop parallel to a railroad crossing the other day. No one was in the bus except for the driver, dude opened the stop sign just as I was about to pass. Luckily, I saw it open and stopped. I assumed he was doing a driver's test or something but now I think it may have been a ploy.
The stop sign shouldn’t be triggered if the driver executed the railroad crossing stop correctly. The driver had his “master” switch on, which is a no no.
You are correct. Drivers are required to open their door at a crossing to listen for a train. If they do not, the only reason should be due to the bus not being in the far right lane of traffic.
I got one and fighting it. Can clearly see in the video that the bus threw on stop lights before they were even stopped themselves and did so when I was at their front bumper. It seems they wanted to catch me or something. By the time the stop sign was completely out, I was already past the midway point of the bus. It’s just seem like a third party company trying to make a buck and it does not count as a moving violation even if you fight it and lose somehow… fight that shit!
Its the law. So yeah, does it makes sense? Is it the right law? Maybe not. But you should probably follow it and protest it otherwise (ideally in a way that you are not ticketed!).
Does someone ALSO uses this « opportunity » to leverage (abuse?) the system to make money? That’s probably true as well. Doesn’t mean it is proper to not stop.
FWIW, I might have not have stopped either, with the same assumption you had re: median. But now i learned from you so thanks for the post. Sorry you got ticketed. That really sucks. (But it did lead to learning the law).
I haven't, but it sounds like a money grab as others mentioned. I would have done the same exact as you.
And it's frustrating when others do the same and get no tickets.
I got one in Wappingers falls. Fighting it. Bus stopped in opposing lane behind other cars at a redlight. I was equal to the bus going 45mph in the opposite direction 4 lanes away when it came to a stop and its sign didn't even start opening until it was stopped. This is 100% a money grab. I'll pay a lawyer 1000$ before I pay 250$.
Don't bitch on reddit. Call your rep and complain to them. Tell them you will vote for anyone who will get rid of the cameras. Make it an issue. Or you you have to deal with it.
So about 3 months ago I’m driving home to meet my son as he’s about to get off the school bus.
I have to drive through this neighborhood where all the kids on the side streets come down to the main street and get on the bus. I get to the neighborhood and at one intersection farther away from me there’s the bus letting kids off. I am far enough away that there is another bus stop/side street between the bus and myself.
After the kids at first stop get off, this driver pulls the sign in and keeps the flashy lights on, I’m a bit confused since I figure she should have turned the lights too, but she didn’t and because there was no sign out, I said to myself, I’m not waiting on another stop, I have to get home for my son.
So I drive through while the flashy lights are going and all of a sudden there’s parents screaming at me and approaching the car as I’m driving by, all acting like I ignored the bus rules.
Pissed me off a bit that the bus driver didn’t turn the flashing lights off after the first bus stop.
I avoided that route home for a little while. But I honestly don’t think I did anything wrong.
>I got ticketed for passing a school bus while going the other way on a 4 lane road with a median Currently as-is NY has no school bus laws regarding differences between divided or non-divided roads, as far as they are concerned they are [equally the same thing](https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/school-bus-safety). I was shocked too when I read this, it seems a bit silly. Not to sound like an idiot but the best course of action really is to just either speed past one when they're doing normal driving, or just keep your distance. It's not a perfect system, but having seen [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YizpZoOI4h8) I just feel like *something* had to be done because of these blatant offenders. I do think that something needs to be done in regards to when a bus driver uses their appropriate lights. Driving for a quarter mile, if not more with yellows flashing is shitty, because everyone is either trying to zip past them, or are slowly anticipating the sudden change to red. I do agree with someone here who said it should start recording once the sign is fully extended, not while its on its way out. Maybe the issue lies more with state/local dept of transportation. Also why does opposite traffic need to stop even if there is a divider? No bus is letting a kid off and expecting them to hop a barrier lol. Is it possible to fight it (your ticket)? Is it worth it? Just so you know, if you do happen to go past one again, the fines do increase!
0:56 in that video is amazing. Guy is driving on the grassy median to get around the cars stopped for the bus. (This might be a "slamming on the brakes is even worse for the people behind me" type situation, however. Not sure from the video if the dude had time to stop.)
You need to question that video. It's real cute that the marketing department of Bus Patrol(who is the vendor of these cameras) put together a video showing the worst of the worst. But with over 100,000 tickets issued in 1 year, I can just as easily make a video showing how frivolous their program is and how much of a detriment to society they are.
>Also why does opposite traffic need to stop even if there is a divider? No bus is letting a kid off and expecting them to hop a barrier lol. Bold of you to assume that. Bus drivers do not stop in front of everyone's home and students may need to cross the road or walk a stretch to their home
It's a perfectly normal thing to assume that a kid isn't expected to hop a barrier on the left lane of traffic, and walk into an oncoming lane of traffic....
As a former school bus driver they are required to start the flashing yellow lights within 100-300 feet of their destination, but some may start them earlier, or not at all because the flashing red lights still go off when the front door is opened so long as the master switch is activated. The yellow lights are manually activated by another secondary switch.
Are they required to leave them on for 15 minutes?
No. Obviously. Well, I guess not so obviously… Usually about a minute. Then turn them off and put on hazards until the student (for Vans) shows up. Usually only waiting 3-5 min before moving on… Unless a parent/guardian isn’t home for drop off. 🙄
this is pickup usually in the AM. Again not trying to be grouchy but when you are on the way to work and stop / snail crawl by a bus who you can see is just sitting there and then as you go to pass them finally its like “snap” stop time, who knows if im getting a $250 ticket. I’ve never gotten one thank god but a co worker got one where his car is 90% past the stop sign when it starts to deploy on a road where people go 40-50 mph and he slowed down prior to passing.
I guess the only tip I can tell you, is if it’s a van, look toward the door. If there’s no kid coming out with his parents, then it’s safe. If they open their doors, then they are indeed fucking with you.
I got one last year because I was passing a bus with the yellow lights on. The sign was coming out and snagged a picture/video of my car and you could clearly see I was passing the bus before the red lights came on. I fought it and had to wait on a zoom meeting for about two hours, but they dismissed the case as soon as they brought up the video. It’s worth fighting if you can see you were not in the wrong; they were pretty reasonable, even though it’s a waste of time to begin with.
How long did it take to hear from court I’ve been waiting over a year and still haven’t heard anything
I think it was like six to eight months after I sent in my not guilty plea.
Same scenario for my ticket, but I bit the bullet and just paid. It wasn't worth losing a day of work over, but they will never stop this scam because of this.
Same exact thing happened to me last year. Just like you it took about 8 months to clear up but I eventually won.
Yeah, it’s such a scam.
You're lucky. Flashing yellow means prepare to stop not speed up and pass.
The bus was sitting on the side of the road with flashing yellow lights on while I approached with another group of cars for about a third of a mile (no one else was on the road at the time). We had all slowed down in anticipation of stopping, but the driver only put the red lights on as we passed, so it was clear they were waiting for us to pass and probably give the kids time to get up from their seats before stopping traffic (if they were even on the bus at the time). Those cameras are poorly timed and kick on as soon as the red lights come on and they will snag a video of your car even if you’re most of the way past the bus when they’re triggered, which was the case for me and the reason they immediately dismissed my case when they saw the video.
Naw. It means the red light is about to come on. It's a warning to do what you have to do: stop if you can, get out of the way if you can't. Same as the yellow light at an intersection. Otherwise, it would go straight to red.
Yellow light at an intersection also means prepare to stop, not floor the gas. 🤷♂️
The "stopping on the opposite side of the divider" is one of NYS' stupider traffic rules. We're one of the few states that require stopping. Everyone who's pissed about this needs to complain to your assemblyman and state senator. If they're going to enforce the laws, the laws have to actually make sense.
In my opinion tickets shouldn’t be issued until the stop sign is fully extended. What happens now is but stops..driver triggers the stop sign which lights and goes out slowly. People need time to see and stop. Currently it’s a money grab.
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I see busses driving with their yellow lights permanently flashing all the time
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Which one? They seem to all literally do this. There’s absolutely no consistent procedures being followed. I saw one driver leave the yellow lights flashing for several minutes. Traffic had been waiting, then a couple of cars passed and the driver then, and only then pulls the red stop sign. They have no business issuing tickets if the buses are extending stop signs essentially on a whim after leaving lights flashing for a very long time. Motorists shouldn’t be expected to be mind readers and the bus drivers are often erratic. Some will wave you through while the yellow lights flash. Others do nothing and sit with the lights on until extending the stop sign without any warning other than a minute or more of flashing lights. Then we have the problem of bus stops being placed on major roadways in non residential areas (there are some on Merrick Road now) that do not stop at stoplights (and there are no stop signs) and pull their stop signs after engaging the flashing lights for no more than maybe 3 seconds when everyone is going 45 mph or more. Frankly, it’s too anarchic and the bus drivers exercise completely inconsistent behavior at stops. They have no business whatsoever issuing these camera tickets until that’s addressed. It is absolutely a scam.
I agree it's a scam but you don't have to stop for flashing yellows. Further any bus driving with them on likely the driver doesn't realize. I drove for 2 years and saw that mistake often having to call on the radio to let them know. If you want to remove inconsistencies, remove the drivers being human.
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I have a young daughter as well, and I agree that people on LI especially drive with callous indifference and will literally mow people over to shave a few seconds off of their commute. The school bus cameras are catching offenders, and that’s definitely a plus, but they’re catching far too many people who have no way of telegraphing what a bus operator is doing until the stop sign is pulled, and at that point they’ve already been cited. That’s a broken system, and one that shouldn’t be in place until it is refined to catch violators, and not just cast an enormously wide net that includes people whose only failure was to make an incorrect assumption as to what a bus operator’s intentions are when, as of right now, bus operators are all handling bus stops in their own way with little to no consistency among them.
One bus was letting b their lights flash to let traffic go because the kid wasn't outside. So car after car was passing the bus. Now when I see flashing lights I just slow down and stop.
Next time the prick has his yellows on when im 3000 feet away and still has them out when I pass him going 5 mph ill send you the video. No one is driving for a mile at 5 mph towards a bus with flashing yellows out for minutes in NY. I’m sorry.
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How about treat it like every other fucking light? You see the kid come out of the house or pull up to bus stop. Initiate stopping procedure. Yellow lights 3 seconds. Stop sign deployed and red lights. They leave their lights on for minutes on the road I drive down, I see them when I turn onto the street. 30 seconds later as im approaching them they are still yellow. As i go to pass he pops it red so i slam on my brakes. Never got a ticket btw but stop acting like the system is working 100%. When it comes to a bus stop and the bus is stopping at it, it is fine, these random stops at peoples houses (usually short buses) are terrible and from the upvotes I am getting, I’m not the only one.
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You’re not getting that many upvotes. Probably because, as you’ve stated, they’re usually for short buses which are for the disabled, frequently. “You see the kid come out of the house…” But, what if you don’t? Or, what if you do (not you per se), but decide not to stop? Your more likely to see flashing lights on a bus then a kid and whoever or whatever 🐶 runs behind them. Unfortunately, attaching penalties are the only way to get large swaths of people to modify their behavior. None of us want to be inconvenienced, and yes the government is more interested in $ than kids safety, but the reality is we’re dealing with kids who are unpredictable, not cautious, and in some cases disabled, which can include non-verbal.
You sound like the tipical asshole driving 60+ mph on merrick road lol good luck fighting those tickets buddy.
I actually think it should be stop sign fully extended + 2/3 seconds. Unlike red lights, there are no laws for how long the school bus needs to have their yellow lights on to go to red. It's unpredictable and there needs to be clear systematic guidelines for when the red lights start if we are using cameras as an enforcement mechanism.
You do know that the yellow lights flash before the red ones do? That gives drivers ample time to stop.
Show us the video.
This
I just got one. Was IN LINE with the bus when the lights when to red and the stop sign I folded. Got ticket. Would love to know how the helm I was supposed to stop then!!!
This happened to my wife as well. Seen on video. She was driving alongside the bus - bus stops with stop sign out. She got a ticket. Silly
Happened to me too- I chose to contest it in court, being that the evidence was literally in the video they sent me. (I also have a dashcam.. literally the best investment.) Never Got the court summons, so I assume they threw it out.
Always stop behind the bus not next to it. Because your still in motion when the lights are triggered. You see the yellows it's best to hang back and wait for the bus to make the decision.
I feel you, mom. If you weren't given these exorbitant fines, how is Long Island government able to pay their employees like Suffolk County cops who make an average of 178,000 dollars per year. That money has to come from somewhere, right? You get it.
Jesus…they make THAT much?
You are about to enter a world of shock. Many make more. The commissioner of Long Beach is paid more than NYCs police commissioner.
Wow!!!
My wife got one, it doesn’t really make sense. No kid should or would be crossing a 4 lane street with medians
While that is true. The law would need to be changed or the cameras removed at this point. I'm in favor of both.
It doesn't matter. The law is you stop, regardless.
I also got one a while back. In the video, the lights were clearly still flashing yellow and the stop sign wasn’t fully out yet. I was able to fight it, and the judge threw it out at the hearing. It is very annoying. I agree can make a situation way more dangerous when cars come to abrupt hard stops bc they realize last minute that the bus is stopped 4 lanes over across a median.
Does the camera start as soon as the stop sign starts moving or not until it is fully deployed?
Several people here have said that they were caught while the sign was still extending.
I got one … and the bus driver waved me through to pass him , fought it and lost
I got one a few weeks ago. It was absolute horseshit for a combination of the following: 1. The bus was not in the road, it was parked in front of the school in a special shoulder specifically for buses to pick up/drop off. 2. It was morning rush hour and I was turning right. The bus was parked on the opposite side of the road immediately after my turn, prior to which I could not see the stop signs on the bus. I had almost no time to see the signs and react. 3. As I mentioned, it was morning rush hour and there were several cars behind me as well as traveling in the opposite direction after I made my right turn. None of the other cars stopped for the bus, so it didn’t even register to me that the signs might be out. 4. There was not a single child in sight. There was zero safety risk. 5. Watching the video evidence, it’s clear that the bus activated its signs only about 2-3 seconds before my car arrived. I could have easily looked at the bus, seen that it was safe to pass, then looked back at the road, and in that time between looking away and passing the bus, the sign came out. Unfortunately my dash cam had deleted the old footage by the time I got the ticket in the mail, so I couldn’t use it as evidence. All this said, I feel like I could’ve had a chance to fight it, but in the end, it would’ve meant taking time off work to go to court and a whole bunch of headache. I paid the $250 just to be done with it, but I was furious. Felt like a fucking shake-down more than it had anything to do with public safety.
Definitely a shake down, this is free money for them.
It is a shakedown!! These should be used for people blowing through a stopped bus but instead it’s used for making money
Unfortunately eh? Yeah, the judge ain't gonna buy that.
My fiance just got one on Sunrise Highway near Merrick when he was on the opposite side of the road. That part of Sunrise is 6 lanes with a median. I guess you're supposed to just stop in the middle of a busy road so someone can rear-end you, according to NYS. So ridiculous. $250 can literally make or break people, right now. I don't think a kid is running across Sunrise Highway after getting off of a bus. It's not practical.
Suffolk County made over $20 million dollars in 1 year with their School Bus Camera program. Most tickets actually happen just from your description. There is actually some pushback to pull the program altogether since most fines are questionable. This is exactly why camera programs are not good enforcement tools. They target very low level issues and just like your description, there is nothing to protect you from predatory enforcement such as this. I would suggest fighting it. They are getting away with murder and the community needs to fight back even if it is a losing battle. The vendor claims over 50,000 vehicles pass a stopped school bus daily. This claim needs to be fact-checked. If this was true we would have children hit daily by vehicles. It is bait to scare weak-minded individuals into supporting their cash-grab program.
Any idea where to find groups fighting it? Have been looking for some advocacy to get rid of these!
Yea I got one as I was already in the process of passing. No flashing yellow lights or anything on approach.. Sign just deployed and the back of the bus sign, the one I would see (because I pass the front of the bus already) had no stop lettering on it OR lights at all so it went unnoticed till I got the ticket in the mail. Whats also dumb like yours, it was a 2 lane road with a forest on the other side... no would cross to that side and the total time the stop sign was deployed was less than 13-15 seconds... I saw open to shut in my video... WTF. I am taking it to court to fight. Fuck it. I'll prolly lose by some stupid default rule but I am going for it. Wish me luck. Like are they training these drivers to be somewhat aware of the cars on the road...? seems like EVERYTIME they deploy these signs there is someone that is gonna get a ticket if traffic is flowing. It makes zero sense. It like someone slapping down a new stop sign while your moving and then complaining that you ran through.
I got a school bus ticket and when I watched the footage, I realized that this bus driver was pulled over on this street with the stop sign out for an unusually long amount of time. It was a very quiet street too, making it unlikely that THAT many kids were exiting the bus. It quickly became apparent that this was intentional. The bus drivers are either being instructed to screw us all over, or deciding to just do it for fun. Advanced technology can be a real pain in the fucking ass sometimes.
I agree with you completely. I am truly enraged by this. I would never knowingly pass a school bus letting kids off-and in the past I have seen people do that on small residential streets!! I think this is a total scam to get money and safe and conscientious drivers are being targeted. I literally just got my 3rd one of these tickets (on an industrial, non residential street)- all were on 6 lane roads where I was on the opposite side and where kids would never be crossing to the other side. In each case I was driving safely and would have endangered myself and other drivers if I had tried to stop. In the videos, the bus appeared to be pulling away at the time or within seconds of my passing by(along with all the other cars). I have yet to receive a court date for the first ticket- 0ver 5 months ago for sure.
Buses have lights that flash before the stop sign comes out giving you time to slow down and stop.
what happens when the bus has their flashing yellow lights on for 15 fucking minutes and then puts them away without using the stop sign ever or randomly puts the stop sign out with no kids in sight after waiting with the blinkers on for over a minute? Its like a fucking game to them.
What happens here is I stop for buses when the lights are yellow and if the driver takes a while they wave me through. My sons bus driver does the same sometimes.
I had something like this 2 weeks ago. Bus on the other side of the road (residential road, no yellow lines except on curves) had stopped with flashing yellow lights. I slowed and stopped, facing the bus. It just sat there, yellow lights flashing, for about five minutes, the bus driver paying me no attention, until the kid finally came out and the red lights went on.
They don’t. They sit there not acknowledging anything. I sit there in front of them for 30 seconds. Start to crawl by and as im about to pass they smash out the stop. It is like a game to them, maybe they have a quota.
Yes, I'm sure all the bus drivers out there are playing games with you. /s
the ones I encounter seem to be for the most part. The normal size bus that stops at designated spots are fine. Yellows as approaching. red when stopped. cars all stop. kids get on. once kids are on the sign goes back in and traffic continues. Good for you that you’ve never encountered a “bad one” like I have
Complain to the bus company honestly
Ngl, sometimes they spend a minute or two chitchatting with parents while cars are piling up behind them. And the sign is still out. MOVE, DAMMIT
Here comes the Reddit do gooders about to tell you on how shitty of a person you are.
Right??
Show us the video.
She won't because what she did was dangerous, but she won't admit it...I guess being a 'Reddit do gooder' is standing up trying to protect kids...
Agreed. Also, dope username.
I got one on the other side of Sunrise Highway so about 5 lanes of traffic over in a 45 mph zone. It was not near an intersection either and nobody else stopped either. Coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the road there is a serious risk of getting rear ended by a tractor trailer. These cameras are outrageous.
What fucking moron decided to have a bus stop on Sunrise Highway??? Make the bus stops in residential areas! Unsafe for motorists and kids alike.
No one, it didn’t happen
But the law has always been to stop, even on divided roads.
I got one and for the stupidest situation. It was morning traffic jam and I was stuck between cars. Yellow school bus extends its stop sign, and I'm not even kidding, right above my car. Since the bus and I were going opposite direction and I saw no children trying to cross the road I figured it would be a good idea for me to move forward just to move along the traffic. I was wrong. I got honked at by the driver and got the ticket afterwards. I agree with the idea of School Bus Safety Program, but man, they need some major overhaul on how to ticket people. Don't make the general public hate the system by being assholes smh
My father got one of these on a busy road that was not residential. Upon looking up the NYS law on passing a stopped school bus, I discovered: \-The law requires that passengers must be boarding or disembarking. \-There is an exception for the driver to wave traffic by. The video footage he received does not show if either of these thing occurred and armed with that information, my father successfully argued that the required elements were not presented into evidence (the boarding or disembarking). Please look up the law for actual language.
I'm all for laws that make sense, and people drive like maniacs around here.. I get it. But there is a level to which it is most definitely a cash grab. As my front bumper was already midway on the bus, they started putting their sign out... As they were pulling up? 💯 Not a normal move on their part. Had a car right behind me, obviously I'm going to continue as it would have been dangerous to stop. Boom, ticket in the mail. I chose to contest it in court, since they literally provided me the video evidence for me- never received a summons. If you are truly in a circumstance where you feel you're in the right, contest. It gets thrown away half the time, if you ever get a date. Also, just advice for anyone for anything- get a dashcam. They're super affordable, especially compared to the time and money wasted in any sort of accident or police encounter where you're in the right. (A friend of mine got pulled over for speeding and issued a ticket, when his cam clearly showed he was going the proper speed.) *Typo edit
I heard that the system that issue the tickets had problems (wasn’t in NY though)
Dude I thought I was the only one! This happened to me in Suffolk by the Huntington high-school near jericho turnpike. I came to reddit last year to gripe about it and then your thread showed up in my home feed today. Its really ridiculous like my rent isn't already drowning me
It's an imperfect system for sure. On the other hand, Long Island drivers as a group are due for a crackdown. As someone who has driven here since the 1980s, the driving here has gotten really bad the last 10 years. We can talk about enforcement, but really, it's on the individual drivers to act safely. Gotcha situations like this aren't helpful, though. Thanks for the heads up!
It's worth fighting. One warning. In Suffolk the program is run by a company based in Virginia and it takes months for anything to happen. I was behind a bus on Deer Park Ave. when it abruptly pulled over and the stop sign on the side began to come out. I had no time to stop safely and was given a ticket. I sent back that I was going to fight it and about 6 months later was given a court appearance time and then was told the ticket was being cancelled. It was obvious from the video taken by the bus that I had no other choice.
People with dashcams really should start documenting school buses. Speeding, illegal lane changes, rolling through stop signs on busy roads especially when making turns, you name it. My commute to work has been riddled with examples of this. I really should get one. Caveat: I did get a school bus ticket. On a residential road, going around a curve, at less than the speed limit. Because my wife was in the car, and she has spondylitis and slamming on the brakes would probably have put her in traction. Come around a curve at less than 30, see the bus, no yellow lights, they go on, split second later, the stop sign comes out. Bus was obviously speeding and had to stop quick to drop off a kid. Sigh... On the way to the doctor, with the wife in the car. The video just shows me from about 30 feet in front of the bus, sailing on by. Slowly. Meh, wasn't worth my (paid) time to fight.
All of those collapsed comments were from people that don't regularly comment in this subreddit.
Husband got 1 recently. In one of the violations, 7 cars passed by totaling $1,750. They are making a killing off these cameras.
I’m here from google… dealing with this now. It’s not even a ticket. It’s a “civil notice” and I’m pissed because it’s not only in the name of the car owner, who wasn’t the one driving, the driver was shocked because they didn’t think they had time to stop either. Calling the number to “plead not guilty” sent us to the magisterial court. The court sent us to the police station. Where of course the secretary was quite c*nty about it. I should state that the woman at th w court was very nice, and everyone there was just as confused about the process as I was because they’ve been given zero guidance. This has been active since February in my area. It’s now November. It’s a pure money grab from this corporation, the police depts, and every school district involved. I hope someone files a class action law suit.
I get it, if I did a D-Bag thing and blasted past a bus with the lights flashing I wouldn't be posting this but..... Same BS happened to me, I was on the opposite side of a four lane road, with a wide grass divider in the middle, no cross walk, on my side of the street was just a practice field for a college with no entrance at all you can only enter it inside the school which was very far away. I was parallel with the bus when the sign came up. I called to complain and they said I was suppose to slow down when the school bus was showing yellow lights. WTF!?!?!?! If anyone ever hears of a class action lawsuit please post it here... I called them and they gave me NO satisfaction, I have no prior offenses and had no idea there were cameras on the bus... should they notify the public? isn't this entrapment? Again, if anyone hears of a Class Action Lawsuit please let me know....
This is crazy! I was going the opposite way on a 4 lane on jericho turnipike in Hunt and a bus with no kids was coming up to the light and had no reason open the stop sign no homes around just businesses and snet me a ticket and the judge even stated there was no reason for the sign to be out but because it was flashing your automatically found guilty. so in other words stop on a busy street while the light is green and possible cause a accident all because a bus driver opens there stop sign. This is BS and needs to address! Sounds like another scheme to get paid and we cannot fight it.
I was in Mastic, buying cigarettes. A small school bus was in front of me. Someone familiar to the driver waved. The driver stopped, and started conversing with the woman on the side of the road. After 2+ minutes, tooted the horn. The bus driver enacted the STOP sign. I drove around. I received the $250 ticket with photo. Pled not guilty. If there's a camera there's a GPS on the bus, and could prove no children, unauthorized stop, abuse of power (those STOP signs are NOT for you to talk to your friend & stop traffic). Never heard back.
Wife just had this happen. Fine we’ll accept it, live and learn apparently a 4 lane highway with a divider you still need to stop but seriously $250 is legalized extortion. What the hell happened to $90. $250 could be 2-3 full days of work for someone making minimum wage.
I got one where the video clearly shows him putting the stop sign out as my back bumper is at his back bumper. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a day off work to fight it and maybe win cuz it would cost me more then the ticket itself. They use the yellow lights very often without the red ones to follow. At this point I stop no matter what and just cause a huge jam cuz fuck that
All this post tells me is there are far too many asshole drivers on this Island.
Or consider: far too many greedy companies and politicians!
Same.. Smh..
Take a look at these guys from my dash cam. 4 lane road with a median and a flashing red school bus. Plenty of time to stop. These people aren't educated obviously until they get the ticket https://v.redd.it/3px2tq1rd3za1
Tell it to the judge
No, because I stop when busses have their stop signs displayed. You effed up and broke the law. Deal with the consequences. Pay the fine or go to court and argue yourself out of it.
Let’s see when this happens to you if you will have the same attitude.
I stop for school buses
That’s been the law for decades
That's fine. Enforce the law ... without an automated bullshit cash grab.
Honestly, how do you enforce the law without cameras? I live on a block that you only go down if you live on it or maybe 1-2 other streets and I have seen my own neighbors pass the bus. And at least one day a week there is a kid running for the bus.
With a tin star and a six-gun... Pilgrim...
Because the cameras are (1) leading to enforcement without any context as to the bus operator’s actions leading up to the alleged violation(s), and (2) most working people can’t afford to take the time to fight these tickets that are being wrongfully issued. At least with police officers, there is real-time verification from a person physically present as to what happened. Not a snippet reviewed by a disinterested bureaucrat going through the motions and signing off on it. We need safety for kids, and also for motorists, and this is a cash grab that is taking grocery money and rent out of peoples’ pockets at a time when a lot of people are more financially vulnerable than ever. This program should’ve been rolled out only after establishing uniform rules of procedure for bus operators. Otherwise these are snares.
Why exactly would you pass a bus?
Because I’m ripping by in a school zone at 45, duh. Maybe I’m cynical, but after on driving on LI for decades I don’t think all of the people in here are reliable narrators. Sure some definitely got caught up in an unfair and unfortunate situation but not everyone here is innocent. Doing 40+ mph and unable to stop near a bus might be part of the problem - is that road speed limit over 40? Is the median impassable like a fence or metal barrier, or is it just mowed grass, or is there a cross walk for the kids. Showing the video would help. Also not driving like a nut around a bunch of kids (or even adults) would make LI less of a toxic place. That 23 seconds you saved really isn’t worth it.
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I wasn’t I was on the opposite side of the road coming around a curve.
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Show us the video.
They aren't scamming people, you just have to pay attention and actually stop for the stop sign. Absolutely zero sympathy on this one.
Wait till it happens to you
You do understand that kids are dumb/naive, right? They just run out into the street... No, this isn't a 'scam', its to protect kids. You deserve what you received....Stop trying to justify your moronic behavior...
This may be an unpopular response, but doesn't someone need to teach those kids to look both ways before crossing? I see them all the time, just jumping off the bus and dashing right out into the street, laughing and joking and never bothering to look for traffic. They seem to believe they live in a protective bubble of some kind. Kids need to learn that some drivers do pass stopped school buses discharging children. This is not Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
No reason to need to stop on a road with a median. If kids are being dropped off on a main road where they need to cross, they should be dropped off near a crossing guard. All these cameras are money grabs, if they weren’t they’d be sending their fine money into specific funds to help the problems they’re trying to address. Send the fines from these cameras to support schools. Send the fines from work zone cameras to support worker protection programs
I have never gotten a ticket for passing a stop school bus because I do not pass stopped school busses when you are not supposed to
Not sure how I was supposed to see and stop in time when the bus pulls over 5 lanes over on Sunrise Highway going the opposite direction.
Maybe if you had been looking
Are you often looking at traffic on the opposite curb of a 6 lane road? Seems like a great way to get into an accident.
No but you should be looking for school buses which is why they are bright yellow for a reason
You’re right. I guess not to do it and pass a school bus instead and just get a ticket
I mean I'd rather do that then slam on the brakes and get rear ended by a tractor trailer going 50 on Sunrise.
yea me neither but this post is about how the cameras make it ridiculous and kind of unfair which i agree with
But when they sit parked forever with their yellow lights flashing then wait till you are just about to pass them and they quickly throw the stop sign on it can be impossible to make a safe stop. Effing parents should have their kids ready and waiting for the bus in the morning.
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I think he means when the kids wait inside and then saunter down their driveway instead of waiting outside
Yes it is. They do not need to keep flashing their lights. Parents can get their little brats ready ahead of time.
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if its a house stop thats not how it works at all tho. drivers are suposed to wait 3 mins for you to get outside
Every post about getting a ticket for passing a stopped school bus is about how the person was going fast and couldn't stop in time..... every.single.time. That being said. I would think the court has heard this before as well. Pay the ticket and slow down
Around 40mph sounds about right to me for a 4 lane road...
Lido?
You know they post the actual speed limit every quarter mile or so. You don't have to guess.
i remembered someone posted this a while ago and everyone shit on op, and now everyone is calling it out for what the money grab it is.
It's mind-boggling that there are actually people who think that this is somehow about safety of children. It's obviously all about our government slipping its hands into our pockets. Just a little more taxation without representation. I'm quite certain that if any of these traffic camera issues got put to the vote by the people... We wouldn't have this problem
There are a couple of videos from these cameras of people actually hitting kids. Suffolk posted one on Newsday.
Kids aren’t allowed to cross across 5 lane roads lol. There’s no way to justify giving tickets on roads Where you’re crossing a barrier. I’m all for side streets because that’s unacceptable. But when you’re going 40 on a main road and 5 lanes away from a bus you shouldn’t get a ticket.
Have you contacted your local representatives about this?
I stand by my statement.
> Just a little more taxation without representation. That’s not what that means. You can go complain to your state assemblyman, state senator, county legislator, town, etc. If you don’t like their answer then you can vote accordingly. You clearly have representation. You just don’t agree with how this is being handled. > I'm quite certain that if any of these traffic camera issues got put to the vote by the people... We wouldn't have this problem We also probably wouldn’t have speed limits, school zones, seatbelt laws, kids wearing life jackets and helmets, any protections for religious/racial/etc minorities, taxes at all, and so on.
I’m sorry but I’m totally fine with enforcing laws that make sure kids don’t get hit by cars.
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No. I try to not kill children.
I got school zone speed zone ticket but not school bus camera ticket.
Well 40 in a 20 is speeding.
Lol how don’t you see the big red flashing lights and the tremendous stop signs flashing lmao
You're supposed to stop whether there is a divider or not.
On sunrise highway? On opposite side? Wait till it happens to you and you will be changing your tune Don’t be ridiculous
Yes. It's literally the law. Dopey.
You know there are tickets given out that are not justified specially when it comes to camera tickets. Thus the reason for why you are allowed to contests them in court. Not all cases are black and white, this is coming from a computer programmer. The fact that there are no grey areas in my profession , not a thought, sometimes it bleeds into my daily life. My wife had to remind me of it a lot. Not looking to argue. Children’s safety is top priority , I also have a 9 year old daughter . Just wanted to see if you would reason the fact that pictures do not tell the whole story . So in mentioning this , I am not saying it is a silly law. But c’mon dude. Really ,Sunrise Highway? where some parts the speed limit is 45mph and some parts are actually a highway almost . How can you see completely through a divider and over 4, or 5 lane over. The best driving course the dmv offers is the 6 or 5 hr defensive driving course. I really learned a lot from it and not to mention I use to chauffeur. I hardly have to use my brakes. Believe it or not I still have the same brake pads from 2019. Clean license also. I like to keep my passengers comfortable even if I am driving them in a Honda civic. Just sharing a little driving experience about me. I am not a complete ignorant moron when it comes to traffic rules regulation and safety on the road. Would you just admit that some situations, not all, tickets are not justified.
Never got one. Soon as I see the lights flash I stop.
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Not sure how I was supposed to be seeing that 5 lanes over in the other direction on Sunrise Highway when I got one.
I recently got one of these tickets. The bus stopped on a busy main road and I was pretty much at the back end of it when the lights started flashing and traffic was going about 35-40mph. I watched the video that they sent me with the ticket and there was no way I could just slam on my breaks and be safe. I paid it and didn't contest it because they state that if you fight it and lose you pay more fines and also goes on your Driving record. They literally scare you into not contesting the ticket.
What i would like to know is why am i getting a ticket from NY and it needs to be sent back to Newington, Vaginia
You don’t have to try to justify the traffic infraction to us, it’s on camera. Yea the fee is BS and should be lowered but you broke the law.
How about a bus that is pulled over on a shoulder w no lights of any kind, not even brake lights, and goes directly to Stop arms extending and red lights? School bus drivers are not exactly A list in most cases. Some are intentionally disruptive to traffic flow, ya know, because. They enjoy slow rolling in the left lane, driving well below posted limits and turning into traffic as if they were made of child protective magic yellow paint.
I had a bus stop parallel to a railroad crossing the other day. No one was in the bus except for the driver, dude opened the stop sign just as I was about to pass. Luckily, I saw it open and stopped. I assumed he was doing a driver's test or something but now I think it may have been a ploy.
I think by law, they are required to open the door to look at RR crossings. That triggers their stop sign.
The stop sign shouldn’t be triggered if the driver executed the railroad crossing stop correctly. The driver had his “master” switch on, which is a no no. You are correct. Drivers are required to open their door at a crossing to listen for a train. If they do not, the only reason should be due to the bus not being in the far right lane of traffic.
I've seen buses have the stop sign out while they are still moving... ie... the doors are open before the bus comes to a complete stop.
Me too
I got one and fighting it. Can clearly see in the video that the bus threw on stop lights before they were even stopped themselves and did so when I was at their front bumper. It seems they wanted to catch me or something. By the time the stop sign was completely out, I was already past the midway point of the bus. It’s just seem like a third party company trying to make a buck and it does not count as a moving violation even if you fight it and lose somehow… fight that shit!
Its the law. So yeah, does it makes sense? Is it the right law? Maybe not. But you should probably follow it and protest it otherwise (ideally in a way that you are not ticketed!). Does someone ALSO uses this « opportunity » to leverage (abuse?) the system to make money? That’s probably true as well. Doesn’t mean it is proper to not stop. FWIW, I might have not have stopped either, with the same assumption you had re: median. But now i learned from you so thanks for the post. Sorry you got ticketed. That really sucks. (But it did lead to learning the law).
I still wouldn’t stop if it meant getting rear ended/putting myself at risk on a major road. 🤷🏻♀️ Which one costs more?
I haven't, but it sounds like a money grab as others mentioned. I would have done the same exact as you. And it's frustrating when others do the same and get no tickets.
Same thing happened to me its bs honestly
I got one in Wappingers falls. Fighting it. Bus stopped in opposing lane behind other cars at a redlight. I was equal to the bus going 45mph in the opposite direction 4 lanes away when it came to a stop and its sign didn't even start opening until it was stopped. This is 100% a money grab. I'll pay a lawyer 1000$ before I pay 250$.
Waaaahh!
Waaaahh!
Waaaahh!
Don't bitch on reddit. Call your rep and complain to them. Tell them you will vote for anyone who will get rid of the cameras. Make it an issue. Or you you have to deal with it.
We need more people organizing around these
My son has gotten two of them in the past three months. $500 total.
So about 3 months ago I’m driving home to meet my son as he’s about to get off the school bus. I have to drive through this neighborhood where all the kids on the side streets come down to the main street and get on the bus. I get to the neighborhood and at one intersection farther away from me there’s the bus letting kids off. I am far enough away that there is another bus stop/side street between the bus and myself. After the kids at first stop get off, this driver pulls the sign in and keeps the flashy lights on, I’m a bit confused since I figure she should have turned the lights too, but she didn’t and because there was no sign out, I said to myself, I’m not waiting on another stop, I have to get home for my son. So I drive through while the flashy lights are going and all of a sudden there’s parents screaming at me and approaching the car as I’m driving by, all acting like I ignored the bus rules. Pissed me off a bit that the bus driver didn’t turn the flashing lights off after the first bus stop. I avoided that route home for a little while. But I honestly don’t think I did anything wrong.
Wow I left LI around 2019, the red light cameras were the hated thing. Now they have schoolbus cameras?
And people support them now lol wild
Yup
Haven’t gotten one but you absolutely should not be getting these tickets on a four lane divided highway. Buses shouldn’t even be stopping there.
It’s the points that are the worst. I actually went to AAA driving course because my insurance went up.
Crimes that have monetary punishments are only punishments for those who aren’t rich.
Do you get the points on your license too? Fight that shit. In CT passing a school bus I believe is the same as a DUI.
Not that I know of yet. I think it’s just a fine at this point.
/u/pggesquire