Fulton County commissioners approved a proposal that will put cameras on the district's school buses in an effort to catch drivers who are illegally passing the vehicles.
“Our children are really at risk,” Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves said.
The cameras, on the buses' stop-sign arms, are intended to discourage people from passing school buses. Those who do pass will be ticketed. Proceeds from any tickets will be split between the county and Fulton County schools, after the vendor, American Traffic Solutions, is reimbursed.
Though commissioners were universally in favor of the plan, they were concerned about the cumbersome way in which the money would be distributed. The approval was made with the caveat that the transfer of money be reconsidered.
As the intergovernmental agreement is written, the money would go from the courts, which would collect it, to the school system, and then to the county.
“It seems ridiculous,” Vice Chairman Liz Hausmann said. “Is this really the easiest way to do it?”
Commissioners agreed that cars passing school buses was a consistent problem.
Nearly 80,000 Fulton students are eligible to ride on one of the school district's 760 buses daily. Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Decatur, Marietta and Atlanta are among the school districts that are already using school bus cameras.
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