Students want buses to go the distance
I have often wondered as I walk home why the buses don’t stop near where I live. I have seen busses drive right past my residence, but none stop close by.
The Two Mile Policy, set by Orange County Public Schools, dictates that students who live within two miles of the school will not have access to public school transportation. This policy forces students to walk home or find another means of transportation, such as riding a bike or hitching a ride with a friend.
According to the Orange County Schools website there are 83 bus drivers taking 77 bus routes transporting over 3,500 students each day. So if they can service this many students, what is the problem with helping those that live in the two mile zone?
Now two miles does not sound like that far, but as a student living within the two mile radius, I can attest that walking home in the afternoon in the state of Florida is uncomfortable at best, and at worst, dangerous. Students like me that walk home can become easily overheated and dehydrated.
There are other hidden dangers for those that have to walk/bike to school in the morning and afternoon. Since in the fall it stays dark longer in the mornings, pedestrian accidents are a real possibility. As of 2010, 4,280 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and another 700,000 were injured in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One way that Timber Creek combats these dangers is by having more police officers stationed around our school, but this does not fully solve the problem.
Students coming from inside their neighborhoods can still be hit by cars off school grounds, and they are left exposed to predators, both human and animal.
I do not believe it is fair to those students who live within the two mile zone to have to walk to school, or inconvenience their friends and parents, to get their education.