- Students in Gadsden County are waiting at bus stops as early as 5:45 a.m.
- Parents are concerned about children's safety at bus stops.
- View the videos above to see how dark it actually is.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Ashley Engle your neighborhood reporter in Quincy. I'm standing at a road that some students walk on to catch the bus to get to school. On your screen now, you'll see this same street at 5:45 a.m. black, with no streetlights. I stalked with a family that says streetlights are necessary for their children's safety.
"It's a safety concern."
Safety is on Shaunteilla Washington's mind every school morning.
She has children. Her neighbors have children and many walk in the dark to catch the bus to school. The darkness is just the beginning of her concern.
"Human trafficking, we have viscous animals in the area and more importantly the traffic, the heavy traffic we have on the highways."
Many neighbors have reached out to me about their concerns on their children's safety when they walk to the bus stop daily.
So I took their concerns to the Quincy town manager, Robert Nixon. Although he oversees the city limits of Quincy, he says he is very concerned about this issue.
He says he will work with county commissioners on bringing more lighting to the incorporated areas of Quincy and within the city limits.
"We want to make sure that we are aware of any areas that could be problematic or not well lit."
I walked one of the streets that students walk on to catch the bus during the day and noticed there was not a single streetlight.
So what exactly does it take to get a streetlight placed in your neighborhood? I went to Quincy's Utility Director, Richard Ash for the answer. He says the first step is to call his department and ask for one.
"We will go out there and investigate. Our policy is that we put a new light on every other poll. If it's a space that is not lit then we will put the light up for the customer."
Families both within the city limits and unincorporated communities of Quincy tell me this is not a new issue. That includes Robin Thomas. He has lived in Gadsden County for over 40 years. He says some of the roads he knows have not had street lights for the same amount of time.
"Before something happens, go ahead as a community and go ahead as a county and do something about it. Don't wait for something to happen and then come along and straighten out the issues."
Families including Shaunteilla's say even changing bus routes for kids to walk closer could be a solution.
"Allowing the bus to change the route and come down here it takes approximately two minutes to pick up the children and turn around in a circle and go back up. I don't understand just balancing it out. Safety concern versus taking out the time to come down and I mean I shouldn't even be a question."
Families tell me that their kids go to the bus stop as early as 5:45 a.m. Despite the recent time change, it's still dark when they go to the bus stop and the only way to keep families at ease, is if street lights are placed.
