On a frosty morning such as this, I think it’s important for us to take a moment and thank the people who take care of our most treasured and often vulnerable people and make judgement calls long before most of us (not including me) are out and about.
School buses are cancelled again today in Northumberland and northern parts of the Quinte Region though many are still running in Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County.
It’s not snowing this morning, but roads are still encased in ice in many areas, and school buses are built to gain traction and sustain momentum, but not to make last second adjustments or stop quickly on icy roads.
What you may not know is the role that school bus drivers and operators play in making these determinations. Appropriately, they are often the ones driving the decision-making process.
Individual drivers are responsible for making judgement calls for everything from whether it’s safe to run at all, deciding that some areas like side roads or hills are impassable, and communicating delays in real time.
In the winter, they start getting things warmed up long before daybreak and are some of the only people I pass on the way to work before 5 am.
When Tri-Board issues a sweeping cancellation, it’s only because they have already been in contact with dozens of bus drivers and operators and the risk is deemed too high.
When it comes to our children, you don’t want to take unnecessary risks, so thank you to everyone who makes that process run smoothly despite the cold and the lack of sleep, and possible negative feedback.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
