A bus stop change in Windham has one parent worried about the safety of her kids and others as they wait before school along busy River Road.

Jami Glicos was recently informed that her kids, ages 5 and 7, would not be able to catch the bus inside their neighborhood on Rocklinn Road, but instead will have to walk to the intersection with River Road. The new stop will put the kids in harm’s way, she said.

“If you were to go to the location, you would see that there is no shoulder, passing lanes from both directions heading up to the stop, dips in the road that make the stop invisible from one direction,” Glicos said in an e-mail. “If a car had to stop quick, which they do very often when I’m trying to pull off into the development, their only source of refuge would be the exact place where my kids will be getting onto the bus.”

The move for that bus stop and three others that will now be along River Road is the last step in an effort to streamline bus routes and make sure students get to school on time, said Superintendent Sandy Prince and Windham Transportation Director Michael Kelly. Those stops join 34 others along River Road, all of which have been reviewed for safety, they said.

“We feel confident that in this situation that it is safe,” Prince said.

In putting together the bus routes, Windham has to deal with a lot of busy areas similar to River Road, such as Route 302, 202 and 35, said Kelly.

“It is not unique on this particular issue. Nothing is an optimal area,” he said.

The district has to weigh safety concerns, as well as how to keep a vast transportation system on track while keeping students on schedule and costs under control, he said.

“It’s only one or two minutes that turn us upside down,” said Kelly.

It is hard to estimate how much has been saved by the district as a result of the changes, because too many other factors have changed as well, Kelly said. But transportation would be costing the district more, in both fuel and maintenance, if the changes had not been made, he said.

Safety is always a concern, and in one case, near Easter Road, a stop was left as-is because of the pitch of the road and line-of-sight in that area, Kelly said.

The changes, the result of a review of all transportation issues that started in 2006, were passed by the school board, which wanted to create more clustered stops in order to cut down on time and fuel costs. While most of the stops were changed two years ago, four others, including the one used by Glicos’ children, were overlooked, a mistake the district is now remedying, Kelly said. Complaints from parents have been few and far between, he said.

But Glicos thinks it is a case of finances trumping safety. Other stops along River Road are in front of houses, which gives kids a place to stand and wait. That is not the case at the intersection of Rocklinn Road, she said.

“I can certainly see the need to alleviate any unnecessary stops from bus routes, but we must continue to keep our children’s safety as our first priority,” Glicos said. “While the town may save minimal time and money, they are placing every child on these buses in danger by consolidating routes. I urge each and every citizen of Windham who is directly or indirectly affected by this change in routes to speak out.”

A bus stop change in Windham has one parent worried about the safety of her kids and others as they wait before school along busy River Road.

Jami Glicos was recently informed that her kids, ages 5 and 7, would not be able to catch the bus inside their neighborhood on Rocklinn Road, but instead will have to walk to the intersection with River Road. The new stop will put the kids in harm’s way, she said.

“If you were to go to the location, you would see that there is no shoulder, passing lanes from both directions heading up to the stop, dips in the road that make the stop invisible from one direction,” Glicos said in an e-mail. “If a car had to stop quick, which they do very often when I’m trying to pull off into the development, their only source of refuge would be the exact place where my kids will be getting onto the bus.”

The move for that bus stop and three others that will now be along River Road is the last step in an effort to streamline bus routes and make sure students get to school on time, said Superintendent Sandy Prince and Windham Transportation Director Michael Kelly. Those stops join 34 others along River Road, all of which have been reviewed for safety, they said.

“We feel confident that in this situation that it is safe,” Prince said.

In putting together the bus routes, Windham has to deal with a lot of busy areas similar to River Road, such as Route 302, 202 and 35, said Kelly.

“It is not unique on this particular issue. Nothing is an optimal area,” he said.

The district has to weigh safety concerns, as well as how to keep a vast transportation system on track while keeping students on schedule and costs under control, he said.

“It’s only one or two minutes that turn us upside down,” said Kelly.

It is hard to estimate how much has been saved by the district as a result of the changes, because too many other factors have changed as well, Kelly said. But transportation would be costing the district more, in both fuel and maintenance, if the changes had not been made, he said.

Safety is always a concern, and in one case, near Easter Road, a stop was left as-is because of the pitch of the road and line-of-sight in that area, Kelly said.

The changes, the result of a review of all transportation issues that started in 2006, were passed by the school board, which wanted to create more clustered stops in order to cut down on time and fuel costs. While most of the stops were changed two years ago, four others, including the one used by Glicos’ children, were overlooked, a mistake the district is now remedying, Kelly said. Complaints from parents have been few and far between, he said.

But Glicos thinks it is a case of finances trumping safety. Other stops along River Road are in front of houses, which gives kids a place to stand and wait. That is not the case at the intersection of Rocklinn Road, she said.

“I can certainly see the need to alleviate any unnecessary stops from bus routes, but we must continue to keep our children’s safety as our first priority,” Glicos said. “While the town may save minimal time and money, they are placing every child on these buses in danger by consolidating routes. I urge each and every citizen of Windham who is directly or indirectly affected by this change in routes to speak out.”