Stop Request Beside a Flashing Railroad Crossing on Kentucky Route 68
At 07:40 you are driving a 36-foot bus with 22 passengers eastbound on Kentucky Route 68. Ahead is a double-track railroad crossing with flashing red lights and no gates. Your designated stop is a gravel pull-off 40 feet beyond the crossing. A farm auction has traffic backed up, and a pickup is parked in the pull-off. As you slow from 35 mph about 60 feet before the nearest rail, the crossing lights begin flashing. A passenger pulls the stop request cord for the pull-off. Sight distance down the track is limited to about 300 feet by a curve and trees. The weather is clear. You can see the rear of the traffic queue just past the crossing, but you cannot see whether there is enough space for your entire bus beyond the tracks. The passenger who pulled the cord is standing and moving toward the front door.
1. Where do you stop, and do you proceed across the tracks?
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Stop before the nearest rail, not on or beyond it. A safe stopping point for a passenger bus is far enough back to see both directions and to keep the bus clear of the crossing, generally in the 15-to-50-foot range where the crossing allows it. Here you are 60 feet before the rail at 35 mph, and the lights have begun flashing, so slow and stop short of the track. Do not enter the crossing until the lights stop and you can see that there is room on the far side for the entire bus, including the 40 feet to the pull-off. The pull-off is occupied and traffic is backed up; if you cross now, you could be trapped on the tracks. Wait before the rail. If you are already committed and the lights activate, keep moving clear rather than stopping on the track.
2. How do you handle the passenger who requested the pull-off stop?
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Do not unload at the pull-off while the bus is stopped before the crossing. Passengers would have to walk across or along the tracks, and the lights are active. Tell the passenger who requested the stop that you cannot make an unsafe stop and that you will unload at the next safe location or after the crossing is clear and the pull-off is available. Keep the doors closed until the bus is parked in a safe place. If the passenger insists, explain that the stop is not a safe unloading point at this moment and offer the next stop. Do not let anyone off between the bus and the track. After crossing, pull fully into the pull-off only if it is clear; otherwise continue to the next safe stop.
3. What if the bus stalls or is trapped on the crossing?
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If the bus stalls on the crossing, get everyone off immediately and move them away from the tracks and upwind, at least 100 feet, toward the direction the train would not come from if possible. Call 911 and the railroad emergency number if posted, and give the crossing location. Do not try to push the bus or stand on the tracks. If a train is coming, do not attempt to move the bus; evacuate. After the incident, do not move the bus until police or railroad personnel say it is safe. Account for all passengers, treat injuries, and keep them away from traffic. Notify dispatch and complete the required reports.