For Aug. 1, Road Watch
PennDOT has finalized its changes to the driver record-check system to make all accident information available to school districts prior to hiring school bus drivers.
This change came in direct response to state Rep. Josh Shapiro’s request to PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler after the Feb. 17 accident where Frederick Poust III, a school bus driver for the Perkiomen Valley School District, struck and killed a driver while operating his school bus.
Poust obtained a Commercial Driver’s License and was hired by the school district. This was despite the fact that he had been involved in another fatal accident in 1999 where, distracted by his handheld cell phone, Poust drove through a stop sign and into an oncoming car, killing Morgan Lee Pena, 2.
Shapiro, D-153, of Montgomery County, said he was pleased PennDOT has implemented this necessary change ahead of schedule and before the start of the school year.
“After learning of this horrible accident, I called Secretary Biehler and worked with PennDOT to change their regulations,” Shapiro said.
“Without this information, it is virtually impossible for a school district to effectively assess any application to hire qualified men and women to drive our children to school each and every day,”Shapiro said.
State Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-161, of Swarthmore, said PennDOT previously offered a 10-year history of a driver’s record, but the terrible school bus accident exemplified the need for a complete driver history.
Following that accident, Lentz, a member of the House Transportation Committee, said he also worked with other legislators and Penn to change the system.
“Parents trust the state is doing everything to ensure the school bus drivers hired to transport their children to and from school are highly qualified and conscientious,” Lentz said.
“This will give school bus companies the information they need to make a completely informed decision on who they hire to operate their buses and protect children from drivers who have a record of unsafe driving – in time for the new school year,” he said.
“PennDOT’s quick and expedient response to this serious matter is commendable and no doubt appreciated by every parent with a school-age child,” Lentz said.
Shapiro initially announced this policy change in March. He was then joined by Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Abington School Superintendent Dr. Amy Sichel.
Effective immediately, PennDOT has expanded the driver record to include the severity of the crash and will be categorized as: fatal, indicating that at least one person was killed in the crash; injury, indicating that at least one person was injured; or property, indicating no one was injured and only property was damaged.
The records will not indicate the individual at fault for the accident, but will allow a school district or school bus company to contact the potential new driver for additional information about the accident.
Employers of commercial drivers will automatically be given a complete driving history through the PennDOT electronic service channel, rather than only a 10-year history, as was previously provided.
DRPA PROBE
Following reports of alleged misuse of toll-payer money at the Delaware River Port Authority – which operates the four bridges over the Delaware River – state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, D-8, of Philadelphia, has urged further inquiry into the matter.
He sent a letter to Pennsylvania Treasurer Robert McCord thanking him for initiating a formal inquiry and asking him to share the department’s findings with the state Senate.
Williams is Democratic chairman of the Senate State Government Committee. He said he will request the committee to hold public hearings and consider legislative remedies to ensure that proper code of conduct and conflict of interest safeguards are in place for DRPA’s future spending decisions.
McCord’s inquiry findings will be helpful in the committee’s efforts to examine this issue, Williams said.
“I’m highly concerned about these allegations because my constituents are using their hard-earned money every day to travel across bridges with DRPA tolls,” he said.
“We need to take the proper steps on the state level to ensure that the DRPA - is making proper spending decisions,” Williams said.
I 95 North
Northbound I-95 will be reduced to one lane on the Girard Point Bridge in Philadelphia today, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., for bridge inspection, PennDOT said.
Motorists traveling north on I-95 in this area are advised to allow additional travel time or use an alternate route because traffic backups will occur.
PennDOT Responds
PennDOT repainted the faded solid white line on northbound Baltimore Pike (Route 1) near Route 352 (Middletown Road) in Middletown as a result of a Road Rant from a reader which ran last Sunday.
Gene Blaum, PennDOT assistant press secretary in King of Prussia, notified the Road Watcher about the action on Tuesday.
Now, that’s what I call quick response to a road problem. Too bad, the honchos in Harrisburg drag their feet on most issues and can never come to a bipartisan compromise, like the issues related to natural gas drilling on the Marcellus Shale, public transit, et al.
SEPTA Routes 101/102
Effective Sept. 5, riders will see new names for select stations on the Route 101 and Route 102 trolley lines and the Norristown High Speed Line.
For the most part, names on these lines reflect the streets immediately adjacent to the stations. This renaming will better identify those stations which were not associated with their actual roadway location.
New and infrequent riders will benefit in addition to those who access popular electronic transit mapping sites and other GPS technologies. The station name changes are the result of SEPTA’s enhanced customer service initiatives.
For instance, the Bywood Station will be designated Avon Road; Beverly Hills will be Beverly Boulevard; Oakview will be Creek Road; and Collingdale will be MacDade Boulevard.
Traffic Delays
Radnor – Goshen Road, road work costing $1.3 million, closed/detoured 24 hours daily between Darby-Paoli and Hunt roads for roadway reconstruction and realignment to remove a sharp curve through Aug. 21. Work began March 1. Goshen Road will be detoured over Darby-Paoli Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Route 3, Route 252 and Goshen Road.
Concord – Baltimore Pike, bridge replacement with lane restrictions on bridge over Chester Creek 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 2011. Work began in September 2009.
Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement with lane restrictions between Darlington and Station roads, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12.
Road Watch/Road Rant appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.