File photo.
Rabun County school buses will be headed in a new direction this school year as changes were made to 10 road stops to ensure safe routes.
Marty Dixon, director of transportation for Rabun County Schools, addressed Board of Education members at the BOE’s monthly meeting in July to discuss that some routes would be amended because of safety concerns to meet the state’s safety guidelines.
Dixon said there are 31 bus routes for the upcoming year, including with the changes, and 42 bus drivers. The school system’s first day of classes for students is Friday, Aug. 5.
Rabun County Schools Superintendent Dr. April Childers highlighted the reasons for changing the stops. Childers said the necessity for changes vary for each road.
Some of these guidelines and issues included:
-School bus stops should have a minimum of 300 feet of sight distance in both directions
-Stops should not be within one-tenth of a mile of each other
-No bus stops should be located near a bus turn around location
-There is no outlet on these roads, which causes the driver to use private property as a turnaround location
-These roads are very narrow roads that are not wide enough for two-way traffic
-We have had several near accidents and other incidents which raised cause for concern
Dixon spoke at the BOE meeting about many of the instances that have occurred in the past that will now be avoided with the updated bus stops.
“We are constantly re-evaluating our routes and stops,” Dixon said about how the school system is proactive and responsive for the safety of students.
Roads affected
The 10 roads that once had multiple stops but now are centralized include:
-High Darnell Road with the new stop at High Darnell Road and Bettys Creek Road
-John Houck Road with the new stop at John Houck Road and Sandy Ford Road
-Watkins Field Road with the new stop at Watkins Field Road and Rainy Mountain Road
-Clois Road with the new stop at Clois Road and Stekoa Falls Road
-Holcomb Road with the new stop at Holcomb Road and Stekoa Falls Road
-Carnes Road with the new stop at Carnes Road and Bridge Creek Road
-Claude Smith Road with the new stop at Annie Perry Lane and Claude Smith Road
-Rock Mountain Road with the new stop at the Campground on Jane Hurt Yarn Road
-Barn Inn Road with the new stop at Barn Inn Road and Lake Rabun Road
-Worley Creek Road with the new stop at the end of the pavement on Worley Creek Road
“There are multiple issues with each of the roads and to ensure all students are safely transported, we made the decision to change these routes,” Childers said.