Chicopee City Council discusses installing violation detection monitoring systems on city school buses during its July 1 meeting.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — School buses in Chicopee will soon be equipped with violation detection monitoring systems on the school bus to enforce violations by a driver who fails to stop for a school bus when required to do so.
During a July 1 City Council meeting, the council approved Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40 71, enabling the city to install and operate the school bus violation detection monitoring system.
Any system put in place shall be limited to monitoring and detecting violations of motor vehicle operators who fail to stop for a bus.
The initiative was first discussed during the April 16 School Committee meeting by Transportation Director Shelley Dellaquila.
Dellaquila discussed some key improvements for the 2025-26 school year that the Transportation Department will focus on, including proposing exterior bus cameras on the outside of the buses to help address traffic-related concerns and improve overall safety.
Dellaquila explained, “We’re working with the Chicopee Police Department in trying to get the outside cameras so that we can work with them. We have a lot of people that are not stopping when the buses stop.”
Ward 4 City Councilor George Balakier talked about how this project is going to benefit the safety of the students.
“I think this is a concept that’s long overdue and it will be great to have some teeth out there. I am hopeful that people will be more cognizant and understand what they need to do when there’s a school bus,” he said.
Ward 9 City Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello thanked the mayor’s office and everyone else involved.
“This is gonna keep the city safe, especially our children,” she stated.
Chicopee Police Capt. Doug Lambert said the project is still in the beginning stages and it is too early to tell how long the process will take but explained the next steps would be submitting a request for proposal.
Once the project advances, Lambert said they will be “looking to advise the public to let them know this is coming to promote the safety and well being of our school age children with this dangerous topic of school bus safety.”
City Council President Frank Laflamme said many residents from each ward were involved in this project.
He added, “I want to thank the Police Department who worked on this a lot.”
The City Council unanimously approved the project.