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GarethMan
New Member
USA
5 Posts |
 Posted - 02/18/2005 : 2:13:28 PM
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Hi, Im new here and just wondering whay do the school buses bounce so much on speedbumps? I leave my seat every time.
Cheers
Gareth |
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78fordwayne
Top Member
USA
2868 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 4:10:31 PM
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| Well the springs on a bus are a lot stiffer than on a car. So when you hit a bump there isnt as much "give" as there would be on a car or light truck. |
Robert B.
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myschoolbusorg
Active Member
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 5:02:11 PM
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Sadly Gareth, it will probably take some children getting injured on several buses to get regulations on height and width of speed bumps. While I have no qualms with the purpose of speed bumps, I do have concerns with their constuction. A 4" wide 6" high bump is destructive to all vehicles. Make that 24" wide and 6" high and you acheive the same slowing but have not damaged anything.
The people who design these bumps NEED to ride in the back seat of a bus after having 3 cups of coffee so that they really understand what happens.
"the children on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down......" |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 6:23:50 PM
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If you are leaving your seat every time, then your driver is going too fast. Period, end of story.
The bumps do vary, though, and I have hit them too fast myself....but only ONCE. No excuse to KEEP hitting them too fast! |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 6:29:50 PM
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I used to have to go over a speed bump on my route. Seriously, one day I said to myself "i wish this darn speed bump would just vanish" and I'm serious....the following week, it was gone! Someone heard my prayer! Well, they changed the road to an "access only" road and took the speed bump out because the road was for buses / police only. I still like to think of it as my dream come true! It's so nice, I dont have to slow down on that road anymore to go over that crazy bump! It was a pain!
I've seen kids leave the seats a few times on my bus, and I felt really bad! They thought it was funny. No, I'm not wreckless and no i don't speed, it's the roads after the winter! Sometimes I can see if theres a uneven groove in the road due to the weather conditions and sometimes I'm taken by surprise. I know the kids in the back are going to bounce if I bounce and by the time I bounce it's too late for me to go slow enough so they won't feel it, butI make every attempt to keep the ride as smooth as possible.
They get a kick out of it but I feel awful when it happens! It's just on that one road and I try to slow down but sometimes it just can't be avoided. So...yes they get a warning when they see my seat go down then UP UP and away. |
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78fordwayne
Top Member
USA
2868 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 6:38:37 PM
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| I remember back in grade school there was a side street that had a huge bump where the road sunk in around the ditch tube. Our bus driver knew we loved going oven the bump. The bump was in the oncoming trafic side of the street. The driver would sit on top of this hill and wait for all trafic to clear, then floor it and head straight for this bump. We would go flying off the seats. lol It was so fun! |
Robert B.
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SchoolBusFan
Top Member
USA
1769 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 8:33:34 PM
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| When I was at Lackland AFB, they have this private contractor called Regent Coach Lines LTD. (I think LTD?). They run their base shuttle and use IC school buses. The driver went over these speed bumps so fast, I was about an inch from hitting the ceiling. I landed on the other side of the bench (seat). |
Check out my new Yahoo group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ccsdschoolbuszone/
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scottyd
Advanced Member
USA
491 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 8:40:02 PM
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| The neighborhood where I live uses speed humps--wider and more rounded. They serve the same purpose and are alot more friendly on the occupants of any vehicle (and the vehicle itself for that matter). |
Scott
Driving America's Future |
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GarethMan
New Member
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2005 : 07:33:51 AM
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Our School bus does not only bounce on the Speed-bumps, Every day we go up a highway at 50MPH+ and hit a pot hole sending up very high out of our seats.
Were all boring in our district, We love the bumps. As for going too fast, I say its only 10MPH at the most. |
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GarethMan
New Member
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2005 : 07:34:50 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by scottyd
The neighborhood where I live uses speed humps--wider and more rounded. They serve the same purpose and are alot more friendly on the occupants of any vehicle (and the vehicle itself for that matter).
Our bumps are high but are no wider than logs  |
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Cody
Top Member
United States
1630 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2005 : 12:47:16 PM
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| I love it when my bus goes over bumps, or speedbumps fast! It's fun!! |
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Jake
Top Member
USA
3527 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2005 : 10:24:44 AM
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I know this has nothing to do with this topic but, I remeber in 5th grade when I rode on one of Miller's Transportaion International Blue Birds, I'd always fly out of the seat when we made a turn (note: I always sat in the rear of the bus). Well, in Elementary school, I rode the church van to my school (after/ before school program). I think it was a 1989? Ford van, and when we hit a speed bump POW you fly up in the air. Same thing with the 1991 international Blue-Bird I ride in, when we go over the railroad tracks, I flew about 3 inches up in the seat when we hit those tracks, and the bus was barely going 10 MPH.
-Jake |
Yellow & Black
A new forum community dedicated to school bus driving, operations, maintenance and enthusiasts!
Come join the discussion! |
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rltinkey
Senior Member
USA
140 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 06:46:29 AM
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As in many states there is a 5 MPH speed limit on school grounds. I see this speed limit violated as a general rule and is only practiced by a limited few bus drivers. Even at 5 MPH, that is way to fast for speed bumps on school grounds. I have seen kids bouncing up out of their seats on several buses. This tells me that there are drivers that are not watching their student mirror as they go over the bumps, curves and through turns. I almost come to a stop prior to rolling over speed bumps I watch both my front and rear tires come up to and over the bumps as the bus passes over them.
As the driver trainer for my bus depot, I call in drivers whenever I see a driver going to fast on school grounds or over speed-bumps, turns and curves. I also talk with them if I receive a complaint about their driving from students, parents and most often from other bus drivers. Most often I explain the why's to a driver I call in, the next time I schedule retraining and the driver has to complete the retraining before they are eligible for trips and sometimes even before are aloud to driver their regular route.
Yes students will know when you are going over bumps or around curves and turns or even coming to a stop but it should not disrupt a pleasant ride. If a student was reading a book, they shouldn't have to look up or hold onto the seat in front of them every time you make a maneuver.
School buses do not travel as well as a luxury automobile but the driver of the bus can make the ride of the students as pleasant and safe as possible. Like they say, we have it in our power and ability to do so, we just have to care about our professionalism, wax on wax off.
Ray The Bus Guy
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BlueBird44
Top Member
USA
1639 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 08:35:46 AM
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My students aways want me to go a decent speed through a stop light intersection because there is a big dip and it makes them bounce but I always dissapoint them. It only happened one time when I was going through and the light turned yellow as I was up to the line so I was keeping the pace up and they bounced.
I have a stop on my after school route that this development has put in speed bumps as soon as you pull in. It is very annoying because as soon as you turn to go in you have to almost stop and ease over which coud leave the back end of your bus still out in the road. If I was the regular driver I would complain about this because there is a bus shelter and loop as soon as you go in and they could put the bumps right after this loop that way the buses do not have to compete with the speed bumps. |
IC-The Golden Shield of School Transportation |
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catz
Senior Member
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2005 : 5:10:08 PM
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| If you think they are bad on a regular bus, try going over a speed bump in a Vista. |
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rswboe
Top Member
USA
675 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2005 : 10:31:54 AM
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| anything over a crawl can hurt kids and break rear springs. If the bus bounces you are going too fast, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN. A school bus is nothing more than a straight truck chassis fitted with a different body. The rear suspension is usually a leaf spring suspension which is fairly stiff, even with a full load of kids. |
Live each like it's going to be your last, one day you'll be right! |
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scottyd
Advanced Member
USA
491 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2005 : 03:02:17 AM
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| No thank you catz, been there--done that. |
Scott
Driving America's Future |
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GarethMan
New Member
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2005 : 1:19:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by rswboe
anything over a crawl can hurt kids and break rear springs. If the bus bounces you are going too fast, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN. A school bus is nothing more than a straight truck chassis fitted with a different body. The rear suspension is usually a leaf spring suspension which is fairly stiff, even with a full load of kids.
3 are on the school grounds
We went over at them at 5MPH, Left seats, then we went over slower and still left seats, Its really good fun  |
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School Buses on speed bumps
