Oh Great Mahatma: I travel on Brockington Road from Kiehl Avenue to Arkansas 107 in Sherwood. The road is divided. I see school buses stop to pick up children, red lights blinking. Am I supposed to stop if I am on the oncoming traffic side? The kids on the bus are not crossing Brockington. -- Concerned Grandma
Dear Grandma: For years, The Mahatma has told journalism students that the answer to any question is yes, no, maybe, don't know.
Pick one, girl.
Fortunately, the legal code is more precise than journalism. We hope.
Let's take a look at Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-1004. It says clearly that when a school bus stops and its red warning lights are on, "every operator of a motor vehicle or motorcycle meeting or overtaking the school bus from any direction" must come to a complete stop. (FYI "any direction." One of our faithful readers once got a ticket for not stopping while approaching a stopped school bus from a crossing direction. He was perturbed.)
Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-1005 adds more to our understanding by addressing the matter of multiple-lane or divided highways. A multiple-lane highway means a road with four or more traffic lanes and no fewer than two in each direction.
Here's the part that directly answers your question, Grandma. If that school bus is on a highway "divided by a parkway or dividing strip of twenty feet or more in width and if the school bus is on the opposite side of the parkway or dividing strip, then the driver of the approaching vehicle need not stop but shall proceed with due caution for the safety of the children."
The statute also requires that routes be designed to ensure the kids don't have to cross a divided highway.
Does Brockington have a 20-foot dividing strip? If not, stop if traveling in the opposite direction. If it does, then keep calm and carry on.
Dear Mahatma: There's a bad bump at the on-ramp off McCain Boulevard going south onto U.S. 67/167 by Target. It's pretty rough when you're building speed to merge. Can you find out why this hasn't been fixed? -- Dwight
Dear Dwight: We are pretty good at finding out things.
We found out that Mark Headley is the new engineer for District 6 of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. As such, he is now a source for this column. Poor guy.
We found out the pavement on this frontage road was partially cold-milled -- that is, removed by grinding -- and overlaid with new asphalt last summer.
We found out that somehow the bump where the asphalt changes to concrete was missed and thus unfixed.
We found out this problem will be scheduled for improvement over the next few months as weather and equipment scheduling allow.
We found out that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Vanity plate seen on a Jeep: BLKBTTY.
Vanity plate seen on a Jeep parked next to that Jeep: BAMDLAM.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 03/07/2015