The Dolomitibus drivers reaffirm their line for safe transport with a hint of resignation. The day before yesterday, in the midst of the crowd in the station square, an 18-year-old boy was left with one foot under a bus wheel suffering a crushing fracture.
To draw attention to these dangerous situations that are always around the corner, for customers but also for them, drivers yesterday morning put in place a “conscious driving” initiative. A protest with which in the hours of greatest comings and goings, both in the station and in Mier, they slowed down to a crawl or even stopped.
Between 1pm and 1.15pm, the situation in the station square seems to be on the ordinary track. Also because, to regulate the flow, there are some stewards in orange vests, who manage to keep everything under control, not without some difficulty.
«The races were more gradual, so we managed to manage them a little better. Both in the morning, between 7.45 and 7.55, and at 13, the shuttles left in an empty square», Lorenzo De Zaiacomo said. Which gets to the point of the matter: «The problem is that everything is narrow, there are cars parked next to the lanes. If traffic were closed to cars in the critical time slots, we could move the kids to the parking lots, so that during the maneuvering phase there is no one waiting. Unlike what happens now, since there is no shelter or sidewalk, a place where students can safely wait for the bus. It is a message that we send to those responsible: to the Municipality, to the Province, to anyone who can intervene to resolve this situation”.
“This problem has existed for years, and it’s never resolved”, remarks his colleague Roberto forcefully. “What can be done? Immediately, eliminate the parking lots and make that space a rest area for the kids. There is no room for maneuver: the buses are many and large; the boys are many, and we know how they are nowadays. Today’s initiative? Similar attempts have been made other times, but they are worth up to a certain point», concludes the driver bitterly. Another colleague, Mauro, also takes the same line, underlining what drivers can encounter in such situations: «It is clear that a signal must be given. Unfortunately, the driver risks losing himself: driving licence, workplace and legal issues. If nobody does anything, we have to try to protect ourselves.”