Youngsters live on Pennington-Lawrenceville Road, between Pennington and Blackwell roads
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
A petition signed by 36 of the 38 residents of a section of Pennington-Lawrenceville Road has asked the school district to increase student bus service there.
The residents, who live between Pennington and Blackwell roads, want the district to pick up secondary students (grades six-12) in front of their homes, like elementary students. Secondary students currently have to walk to a few designated stops on the side of the road.
”Our concern is children walking along a county road with no sidewalks or walking surfaces,” said Pennington-Lawrenceville Road resident Greg Fontaine, who presented the petition to the school board Monday night. He said the concern is most acute in inclement weather.
About three-fourths of a mile long, the section of the road covered by the petition has very narrow shoulders. It is a county road with a 35-mph speed limit and a sweeping curve. Part of the road is uphill when traveling east.
Mr. Fontaine, his wife, Karen, and Catherine Kopkash, who signed the petition, said traffic often travels well over the speed limit. Ms. Kopkash said cars also sometimes violate the law by passing school buses that are stopped, with their warning lights activated, to pick up children. Some secondary students have to cross the road to get to the bus, Ms. Kopkash said. The procedure is that they cross when the bus is stopped with its warning lights activated.
”It doesn’t make sense for a child as young as 11 years old to have to walk down a road like that,” Mr. Fontaine said.
School district Business Administrator Robert Colavita said that, at the Fontaines’ request, the issue already has been reviewed by school transportation officials and Hopewell Township police. Mr. Colavita said the consensus of those officials was that the current bus stops are safe.
Mr. Fontaine replied that, during that review, it was suggested to him that his daughter wait for the bus closer to her home, rather than wait at the officially designated stop. The Fontaines complied with that suggestion, but “the bus didn’t pick her up,” Mr. Fontaine said. He questioned the logic and fairness of recommending that a child wait at a stop that is not an official bus stop.
Board member Jim Wulf said he thought the petition raised a valid point. “Why not each house for grammar students” as well as secondary students, he asked rhetorically.
Board member Jeffery Bartolino said the Fontaines have an avenue of appeal. Having been turned down once, they can take their case before a subcommittee of the board and present detailed evidence. “It won’t take long to schedule a meeting like that,” Mr. Bartolino said.
Mr. Fontaine said “less than 10” secondary students live on the section of Pennington-Lawrenceville Road covered by the petition. The number of homes involved is even smaller, he said, because some of the students are siblings who live in the same house.
Mr. Fontaine said the two residents of his section of the road who did not sign the petition didn’t refuse to sign it. “We just weren’t able to reach them,” he said.

