Registering concern about Wake school bus stops is easy; getting one changed isn't so much

As they do on so many other two-lane roads across North Carolina, school buses make routine morning and afternoon stops along Old Creedmoor Road north of Raleigh.

The speed limit on the road is 45 mph, and cars and trucks zoom past Natalie Lange and her 6-year-old son, who must cross the street to get to the school bus stop.

"I was about to let him cross. I thought they were stopping, and then it started, you know, getting a little close, and they just kept driving," Lange said. "I would say five or six times it's happened to where cars have just kind of flown right past the bus on our street."

Bus stops that require students to cross busy roads are common, and after hearing Lange's concerns, 5 On Your Side asked Wake County Public School System officials about how parents can request a change to their children's stop.

Requests can be submitted on the transportation section of the district's website. People can click on "Other Questions and Concerns," which pulls up a form where they can check "Safety Issue with my Current Bus Stop" and report their concerns.

District spokesman Matt Dees said parents should hear back after several days, once a manager has reviewed the concern in person. But he noted that stops are "rarely changed."

Lange said she requested a change to her son's bus stop in August and has yet to hear back.

"I kind of hold him back," she said of her morning ritual. "He knows also that you don't cross the street until it's clear and to wait for me to say, 'Go ahead.'"

She said she wants drivers to be aware, too.

"If the bus is stopping and you see, you know, a child or a parent standing next to the road, maybe it's a good idea to slow down and stop," she said.

One school bus driver said one of his biggest concerns is what he calls "bus beaters" – people who see the flashing lights on the bus and speed up instead of slowing down and stopping.