Google's commuter buses are causing concern for parents and students in Los Gatos.
The buses shuttle workers to and from the Google campus in Mountain View every morning and evening, but while that may seem like the "green" thing to do, nearby parents say the buses pose a safety hazard for kids.
Parent Pam Kee tells the Mercury News she watched a middle school student on his bike as he was blocked by the bus.
"The bus was stopped in the bike lane, so the kid pulled out into the street to avoid it," Kee said. "He couldn't go onto the sidewalk because all the Google employees were there. There was a car behind the bus; thank goodness it stopped and didn't try to go around it at the same time as the bicyclist."
Google says on average about 70 people ride one of the Shannon Road buses daily. There are five morning bus runs, between 7:20 and 10:25 a.m.
Kee says Google workers park in the parking lot of the Presbyterian Church on Shannon Road. She wants the buses to pull into the parking lot as well, to keep the road and bike lanes clear. She and other parents have talked to the police department and local school administrators about the issue.
The Mercury news reports a traffic sergeant apparently solved the problem by contacting the church and asking if the bus could pick up workers in the parking lot, rather than on the street. The church agreed and said it would contact Google about the change. Local police will monitor the morning buses to make sure they're complying.
