WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - In one West Jordan neighborhood, a bus stop is anything but safe. Kids are being dropped off on a major highway with speeding cars flying by just feet away.
The stop is on 6400 West and Bingham Highway.
67 miles an hour- That's how fast ABC 4 clocked cars going this afternoon. Definitely not what planners had in mind when the Jordan School District laid out a new bus route for kids living at the nearby apartments.
Jennifer Wilson said it’s just too close to her most prized possessions. “They both used to ride the school bus. We decided as parents they aren't riding the bus because of risks of the highway,” she said.
The highway goes straight to the mines and helps alleviate traffic where there's construction. “There’s trucks going to the construction area or the landfill,” Wilson pointed out.
She doesn't understand why the buses just don't avoid the trucks all together by pulling in the parking lot. “They have permission from the complex. There is not an issue with that aside from the district's belief that it is not efficient for them to go into the complex,” she commented.
A Jordan School District spokesperson said the Office of Risk Management discourages drivers from going onto private property.
He assures eventually there will be a solution. “There will be an additional hundred homes going in south of that development and so the city will continue 6400 West further south which will allow a bus to come in and pick right off of 6400,” said Steven Dunham.
For now, Wilson worries about the other children. “It's a matter of if the car loses control, especially in the winter. It could plow into all these kids and there is no barrier to protect them at all,” Wilson said.
A school board meeting open to the public will be held on February 14th. You can voice your concerns there or you can call the school administration.
