Manassas Park City Schools Contact: Eric Neff
Phone: 703.335.8850
Email: [email protected]
ATS Contact: Charles Territo
Phone: (480) 443-7000
Email: [email protected]
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Manassas Park City Schools Introduces Program to Curb School Bus Stop Arm Running
Manassas Park, VA -- Manassas Park City Schools is partnering with American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the leading photo enforcement provider in North America, to deploy ATS CrossingGuard® camera technology aimed at reducing the number of vehicles passing school buses while their stop arms are extended.
The CrossingGuard® school bus stop arm safety solution mounts cameras and sensors on the side of the school bus. When the stop arm is deployed, the sensors automatically detect a vehicle illegally passing the stop arm in either direction. The system then captures video of the violation including the vehicle's license plate. The video is then reviewed by the Manassas Park Police Department for approval prior to a citation being issued. In Virginia, a stop-arm violation results in a $250 civil penalty.
"Our main goal is to keep our students safe," said Eric Neff, Deputy Superintendent of Manassas Park City Schools. "These cameras are the safety solution we need to reduce the number of these types of violations to protect our students."
The program is administered and maintained by ATS with no upfront cost to the district. Once it is implemented, it will be 100 percent stop-arm violator funded. Cameras will be installed in April on all MCPS school buses with a 30 day warning period prior to issuing citations.
Approximately 35 buses transport 3000 students to and from school each day. "Our goal is to educate drivers and stop the illegal passing of school buses," said John Evans, Chief of Police for Manassas Park, "Our number one priority is to protect our citizens. We are proud to have this additional tool to help keep our children safe."