To: New Albany Plain Local Schools Transportation Office

From: Asbury Ridge Subdivision

Subject: Review of Asbury Ridge school bus stop locations. Response required.

We are writing on behalf of the NAPLS children residing in the Asbury Ridge subdivision. We would like a review and response of the bus stop locations utilized in the 2018-2019 school year. In the 2014-2015 school year, there were several bus stops that were located inside the subdivision. Following the failure of a levy in 2014 the bus stop locations for the 2015-2016 school year were moved to locations on a feeder road (Chilmark Dr.) for the subdivision. This is now the cause for concern for our neighborhood.

In 2017 voters approved a school levy with many in our neighborhood hoping this would return bus routes coming through the neighborhood. This has not happened. Can you please respond with an indication as to why bus routes do no enter the Asbury Ridge subdivision? We have noted there are other subdivisions within the NAPLS area that have bus routes throughout their subdivision with numerous stops for students. We believe this practice is unfair to our subdivision.

Problem:

Bus stops are currently located at Chilmark Dr. and Nafzger Dr., as well as Chilmark Dr. and Asbury Ridge Dr. The two bus stops cause a great deal of concern in relation to the students utilizing these stops. The issue is a large number of students exit the buses at these stops. The K-5 stop at Nafzger Dr., for example, empties the entire bus at one stop. This causes safety concerns due to the number of parents who await their students at this stop and the increasing traffic on Chilmark Dr. The congestion of cars and parents causes visibility concerns and increases the likelihood of a child being injured while attempting to cross Nafzger North of the bus stop. We understand that state law may require a student to have to walk up to a half mile to their bus stop. State law also requires the bus stop provide for the maximum safety of pupils in relation to traffic volume, physical characteristics, visibility and weather. We do not feel that having just two stops is in the best interest of the pupils. This not only includes the visibility and traffic volume concerns previously discussed but also the weather issues. The furthest distance currently traveled by a student is over 0.4 miles. A complete loop through the subdivision would add approximately 1 mile to a bus route and provide an increased level of safety to our children and your pupils. We have taken steps such as posting notices to our community and even asking for police presence in order to increase safety. These unfortunately have not had any effect on the conditions.

We eagerly await your response and hope your take our concerns into consideration when creating bus routes for the 2019-2020 school year.