Why

[Selkie]

You know, for a bunch of people who are quick to point out the rights of cyclists to be on the road even though we slow down traffic that might back up behind us in tight spots, and who work to change laws about when and how a car can legally and safely pass a cyclist, you all are sure vocal in your complaints about being slowed down by kids getting off the bus.

People are people. Kids are slow. Parents like to find out how their kids are doing (or maybe there's a more legitimate purpose for the talking--maybe their kid has been bullied on the bus and they need to talk to the driver about that, or maybe the kid left their coat on the bus the day before and they want to know if it was found, or maybe they are letting the driver know that the kid has a doctor's appointment the next day so won't need to be picked up in the morning). Personally my kid is slow getting off the bus because he's autistic and not always with it and doesn't do well with transitions, so getting on and off the bus involves cajoling (on our part) and head banging (on his part).

I'm VERY glad that there are all of these safety checks in place for kids getting on and off the bus (o.k., checking under the wheels with a flashlight seems like overkill)--one of my best friends in 4th grade was hit by a driver passing a school bus. He wasn't killed, but he was really messed up and missed months of fourth grade.

So you're inconvenienced for a few minutes when you're stuck behind a bus. If you don't like it, find another route, or don't go out on the road at the time of day when you know the busses are running, or leave a few minutes earlier. And remind yourself that if the busses weren't running, there would be another 30 or 50 cars per missing bus out on the road transporting the kids to and from school. Does that sound preferable?

Ahem, I was on foot, walking my dog, when this happened. I wasn't "inconvenienced," but it was a safety issue. The combination of the bus, parents, cars, and kids freaked out my 85lb golden. The fact that they were p*ssing around made it worse (I had to get down on the curb and hold my dog to keep her from bolting. Not one of them showed an ounce of consideration.)

I've noticed the same thing when driving, but it's minor compared to the multitude of other annoyances that are a part of commuting in a busy area (metro construction, HOT lane construction, etc). FWIW, there are a shortage of alternative routes for commuters in the DC area due to all of the construction projects. Anyone who has to transit or work in Tysons Corner can attest to this.

I kid you not, I once waited FIVE minutes for kids to get off a bus (there weren't that many kids to warrant it, either). This was on a busy road, during early rush hour. Consideration works both ways. Enough said.