Bus Stop Too Crowded, Parents Say

Sat., Sept. 30, 2000

By Marny Lombard marnyl@spokesman.com (509) 927-2166

Thirty-one children gather most mornings at their school bus stop in the Riverwalk subdivision.

Ranging from kindergarteners through sixth-graders, some of the kids can be prone to mischief.

“The other morning, I had to stop two kids from pushing a third one into a pile of dog poop,” said Keith Fitting, a dad who lives next to the bus stop.

He and a few other parents ride herd on the kids every morning. But they wish they didn’t have to.

They’ve asked the Central Valley School District to establish another bus stop in their subdivision. In two years, it hasn’t happened.

The reason?

It’s partly because the subdivision has just one public road, a section of Indiana Avenue. Every other street is private.

This is one of the changing dynamics in the Spokane Valley that’s driving continued requests for exceptions to the school busing rules.

Some developers approach the school district’s transportation department with their plans and ask for comment, said Debra Holmes, head of busing. The Riverwalk developers didn’t.

Central Valley buses won’t travel on private roads for several reasons, including snow-plowing problems and narrow widths.

The section of Indiana running through Riverwalk currently ends in a 40-foot wide gravel cul de sac.

Residents say they don’t understand why a bus couldn’t use Indiana, including that turn-around area.

Holmes says the turn-around just isn’t large enough for school buses to maneuver in. Backing up a school bus without a flagman is prohibited by state law.

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