Not Stopping for School Bus in Lane Opposite Double Yellow Line

[Anonymous]

Yup, on a former mail route of mine, I encountered a small bus every afternoon discharging a child using a wheelchair-4 lane road, I would be coming in the opposite direction and stop every time...as cars whizzed by me and the bus! Every day!

[Anonymous]

I got a ticket in Montgomery for passing a stopped bus on the other side of the median on 124. $250 fine.

[Anonymous]

Bus stopping q: If I see a bus with its lights on and stop sign extended and there is a side street before the block on which the bus is parked, am I allowed to turn right onto the street? I would not be passing the bus or even pulling up directly behind the bus. I'd be making a stop at the stop sign then turning right while the bus is stopped up ahead on the block from which I am turning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's a divided road (concrete median), then it's OK to proceed if bus is stopped in other direction.

You got it backwards.

+1

The only time you don't have to stop is if it's divided by concrete.

In the 5-hour course for insurance reduction, they said to stop even if the road has a concrete divider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's a divided road (concrete median), then it's OK to proceed if bus is stopped in other direction.

Do you know the definition of a divided road? I looked it up and couldn’t find how high the concrete barrier has to be or it’s ok as long as a barrier exists. Does a 4-5 inch high concrete section in the middle count?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bus stopping q: If I see a bus with its lights on and stop sign extended and there is a side street before the block on which the bus is parked, am I allowed to turn right onto the street? I would not be passing the bus or even pulling up directly behind the bus. I'd be making a stop at the stop sign then turning right while the bus is stopped up ahead on the block from which I am turning.

Yes, you can turn onto the street

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's a divided road (concrete median), then it's OK to proceed if bus is stopped in other direction.

Do you know the definition of a divided road? I looked it up and couldn’t find how high the concrete barrier has to be or it’s ok as long as a barrier exists. Does a 4-5 inch high concrete section in the middle count?

The road I was ticketed on had a grassy median that was at least 15’ wide with a little creek running down the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's a divided road (concrete median), then it's OK to proceed if bus is stopped in other direction.

Do you know the definition of a divided road? I looked it up and couldn’t find how high the concrete barrier has to be or it’s ok as long as a barrier exists. Does a 4-5 inch high concrete section in the middle count?

Check this link posted upthread:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/bussafety.html

Those of you who were ticketed if you were going the opposite direction of the stopped bus on a divided road as described in the law, should contest those tickets. That sucks.

[Anonymous]

Nothing I can do about it. It was almost a year ago. I already in effect pled guilty when I paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's a divided road (concrete median), then it's OK to proceed if bus is stopped in other direction.

Do you know the definition of a divided road? I looked it up and couldn’t find how high the concrete barrier has to be or it’s ok as long as a barrier exists. Does a 4-5 inch high concrete section in the middle count?

Check this link posted upthread:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/bussafety.html

Those of you who were ticketed if you were going the opposite direction of the stopped bus on a divided road as described in the law, should contest those tickets. That sucks.

That’s a good graphic. Can some one post it?

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a PSA that if you encounter a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Maryland, you must stop within 20 feet of the bus, even if you are on the opposite side of double yellow lines, where pedestrians cannot cross. I got a $250 ticket in the mail, as I didn't know what the rule was as I was approaching a busy four lane intersection and wasn't sure whether/when/where to stop.

Wait, what? There is no law saying that pedestrians are not allowed to cross a double yellow line.

When in doubt, STOP FOR THE SCHOOL BUS THAT HAS ITS RED LIGHTS ON.

I agree there isn't a law saying pedestrians are not allowed to cross a double yellow line, but in this spot, the crosswalk is about 25 feet away. You would be crossing four lanes of traffic, so you should cross at the crosswalk, not at the double yellow line area.

Yeah but they'll get you anyway. Same situation here. $500 ticket last year. I'd never gotten a ticket for anything before in my life but that made up for my years of cautious driving!

OP here. $500? Oh that's painful. I read the ordinance to say that the max is supposed to be $250. Were you actually pulled over as moving violation, or was that what you got in the mail?

Got it in the mail. Camera on the bus. It was a 6-lane road and I was at least 4 lanes over from the bus so it really did not occur to me I'd have to stop.

It was very painful. I mean I have never gotten so much as a parking ticket before, never been pulled over, etc!

I'm 50. I've lived in a number of states and 2 countries as an adult. This has been the law since I was 16 in every place I live. Are you too senile to drive? Illiterate? You need to surrender your license if you don't know basic things. Passing a school bus is like drunk driving. There's no excuse.

Next post: Stop when there's a red light.

I agree. This is the law EVERYWHERE I've ever driven. It's common sense (as well as law!)

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news2/4-simple-driving-rules-when-approaching-a-stopped-school-bus/
https://www.pwcs.edu/news/2018-2019_n_e_w_s/students__buses__and_the_law_
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/bussafety.html
https://patch.com/maryland/bowie/when-stop-school-bus-maryland-0


What I get irritated by is school bus drivers thinking they always have the right-of-way. For example, I occasionally travel down a road (past a school) that has the "exit" for school buses after drop-off in the morning or after school dismissal in the afternoon. Even if traffic is moving on the road (at no more than 25 mph, of course, because it's a school zone!), the buses will pull out in front of traffic. They are pulling out onto a road, not loading or unloading students, so they do not have the right of way when traffic is moving. It's frustrating and dangerous. It's happened to me at least half-a-dozen times in the past year or two, so it is not an isolated incident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a PSA that if you encounter a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Maryland, you must stop within 20 feet of the bus, even if you are on the opposite side of double yellow lines, where pedestrians cannot cross. I got a $250 ticket in the mail, as I didn't know what the rule was as I was approaching a busy four lane intersection and wasn't sure whether/when/where to stop.

Wait, what? There is no law saying that pedestrians are not allowed to cross a double yellow line.

When in doubt, STOP FOR THE SCHOOL BUS THAT HAS ITS RED LIGHTS ON.

I agree there isn't a law saying pedestrians are not allowed to cross a double yellow line, but in this spot, the crosswalk is about 25 feet away. You would be crossing four lanes of traffic, so you should cross at the crosswalk, not at the double yellow line area.

Yeah but they'll get you anyway. Same situation here. $500 ticket last year. I'd never gotten a ticket for anything before in my life but that made up for my years of cautious driving!

OP here. $500? Oh that's painful. I read the ordinance to say that the max is supposed to be $250. Were you actually pulled over as moving violation, or was that what you got in the mail?

Got it in the mail. Camera on the bus. It was a 6-lane road and I was at least 4 lanes over from the bus so it really did not occur to me I'd have to stop.

It was very painful. I mean I have never gotten so much as a parking ticket before, never been pulled over, etc!

I'm 50. I've lived in a number of states and 2 countries as an adult. This has been the law since I was 16 in every place I live. Are you too senile to drive? Illiterate? You need to surrender your license if you don't know basic things. Passing a school bus is like drunk driving. There's no excuse.

Next post: Stop when there's a red light.

I agree. This is the law EVERYWHERE I've ever driven. It's common sense (as well as law!)

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news2/4-simple-driving-rules-when-approaching-a-stopped-school-bus/
https://www.pwcs.edu/news/2018-2019_n_e_w_s/students__buses__and_the_law_
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/bussafety.html
https://patch.com/maryland/bowie/when-stop-school-bus-maryland-0


What I get irritated by is school bus drivers thinking they always have the right-of-way. For example, I occasionally travel down a road (past a school) that has the "exit" for school buses after drop-off in the morning or after school dismissal in the afternoon. Even if traffic is moving on the road (at no more than 25 mph, of course, because it's a school zone!), the buses will pull out in front of traffic. They are pulling out onto a road, not loading or unloading students, so they do not have the right of way when traffic is moving. It's frustrating and dangerous. It's happened to me at least half-a-dozen times in the past year or two, so it is not an isolated incident.

I have also experienced this. Once the first bus pulls out, every bus driver after the first drives as though an invisible traffic cop is stopping traffic on the street and waving them all out of the school parking lot - even when they’re not ready to pull out immediately following the previous bus. They’re not even all turning right out of the parking lot; they’ll make left turns out of the parking lot, directly into the path of oncoming traffic. I live in a neighborhood with very narrow streets and cars parked on the streets. There really should be a traffic cop directing traffic during bus runs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a PSA that if you encounter a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Maryland, you must stop within 20 feet of the bus, even if you are on the opposite side of double yellow lines, where pedestrians cannot cross. I got a $250 ticket in the mail, as I didn't know what the rule was as I was approaching a busy four lane intersection and wasn't sure whether/when/where to stop.

Virginia Arlington has same rules. So Maryland drives pl see don’t run over our kids.
-signed parent at 4 way stop where people cuss to get past the school bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there cameras on maryland buses?

OP here. Yes, they sure do. I just logged onto the site to pay my ticket, and they show you the video taken from four different angles. It's pretty impressive.

Wow, that's pretty cool. I am totally behind spending more money like that. I hope all school busses are outfitted the same way! Sorry it happened to you, OP, but glad that no one was hurt.