As a daily commuter on A Street Southeast from Lakeland Hills Way to downtown Auburn, I have seen several instances where school buses traveling northbound on A Street Southeast to pickup and drop off children have caused confusion with Auburn’s drivers.

A Street Southeast is a four-lane roadway with two lanes northbound and two lanes southbound. The center left turn lane is not one of those lanes.

When drivers are traveling in the same direction as the bus, northbound, and the bus driver stops to pickup or drop off children, they activate the bus’ red lights and stop sign. You are required to stop and not pass that bus.

Those who are the most confused are the motorists driving in the southbound lanes, where the busses do not stop. These southbound motorists are not required to stop when the bus’ lights are on because A Street Southeast has more than one lane in each direction.

The location with the most confused drivers is A Street Southeast at the entrance to the White River Estates, near Mark’s Market store. At 3:20 p.m., a northbound bus drops off kids who live in the estates.

Today, I saw those southbound drivers stop for the northbound bus, causing traffic to backup in both southbound lanes, from the driveway of the estates to 41st Street.(Ellingson Road). Traffic could not cross the intersection, and vehicles turning from 41st Street could not turn to southbound A Street Southeast.

If you are one of those confused drivers, wake up. You are causing an unnecessary backup of traffic when you don’t have to.

– Vic Stevens