Getting to school for a number of Pearl River County children can involve one of three options, the bus, their parents and if they are old enough, a personal vehicle.

Riding the bus was never popular when I was in school, especially the older I got.

But the bus is actually the most economical way to transport our county’s youth to and from school.

There’s a problem with this mode of transportation, it’s large and difficult to maneuver. During those hour-long bus rides, I often wondered how the bus driver piloted such a large vehicle without striking at least a garbage can or mailbox on a regular basis.

But these trained operators know how to turn the bus around, especially down a dead end road. All they need is space and a well maintained road.

Since buses are typically heavy, they contribute to the wear and tear of public roads, especially those in residential areas. To alleviate that problem, a school district and the county will enter into an agreement.

That agreement states that the county will maintain that road to a certain degree to ensure a bus can safely turn around.

But apparently there are some bus turnarounds on private roads, which are supposed to be maintained by the owner.

Having such a road designated as a bus turnaround would certainly negate the need for the owner to maintain the road so long as school aged children live down that road.

One supervisor of our county has grown wise to the situation and would like to address it so county road crews can focus their attention on roads used by more county residents, putting our tax dollars to better use.

While I agree that bus turnarounds do need to be maintained, I agree with that supervisor that private roads should be maintained by those who own them.