Tamarack Road bus stops discussed

Heidi Glancy walks her kindergartener to the bus every day with her 3 1/2 -year-old daughter in tow. It’s a short walk, just down two houses, but on winding Tamarack Road, it can be nerve-wracking, she told the Byram Township Board of Education last week. A curve in the road makes visibility difficult for cars and there isn’t much shoulder to walk on. Glancy knows the unseasonably warm weather isn’t likely to last much longer, meaning there will be no shoulder at all when snow is piled off the road by the snowplows. Since she and her husband, Tom, are familiar with the road, having lived there 10 years, they suggested to the board creating a new bus stop. If the bus stops at 25 Tamarack, next door to the Glancys and down at 17 Tamarack, one house down from the current stop, it will stop at the top and bottom of the bad curve, Heidi said. She said before the meeting she had made this request to board secretary/business administrator William Bauer, but he turned her down for reasons she doesn’t understand. At the meeting, he pointed out there has always been just one stop on that stretch of road. Tom noted that may be true, but as empty-nesters have sold their houses to young couples, there are more small children on the road than there have been in years he said. Heidi noted the people in 19 Tamarack where the bus stops now would prefer if the stop was moved one house down so their kids wouldn’t have to wait on the curve. She could easily walk her son up to 25 because there is no visibility problem there, either. Bauer said he and the superintendent of schools walked the road twice and don’t see a problem. He said there are many similar roads in Byram with pitches, saddles and blind spots. The district creates an area bus stop when the houses are close together, he said. Heidi said cars don’t do the speed limit on the road, either, especially when they are heading toward Rte. 206 in the mornings. Bauer said there are busier roads than Tamarack in the township. Bauer said there are no written guidelines for how far apart bus stops must be, but the district is trying to consolidate stops. Heidi pointed out the Intermediate School bus stops at her house, 23, and at 15 and wondered why the elementary school bus doesn’t stop at least as often. Bauer said in a township like Byram, while safety is paramount, there are choices that have to be made. Board members said they would look into the matter and suggested the Glancys bring a map to better clarify their position if they attend the next board of education meeting.