30 April 2012

Beware the school zones

30 April 2012 | By johnboy

ACT Policing will be stepping up traffic enforcement and is urging motorists to change their behaviour, in particular in and around schools, in response to rising complaints about unsafe driving practices.

Of particular concern to police are the unsafe practices by parents and guardians when dropping off and picking up children at school.

Sergeant Rod Anderson, Officer in Charge of Traffic Operations, said that children are our most vulnerable road users because their unpredictability exposes them to the highest risk when around traffic.

“When dropping off or picking up children, parents and guardians are reminded that they must not obstruct other traffic, or park illegally because these offences compound traffic problems and hazards around schools, causing dangerous situations for children,” Sergeant Anderson said.

“Children are not as aware as adults of possible dangers. When people double park or park on dividing strips, it restricts the child’s line of sight and other motorists. Due to the height of children they are often not seen by motorists until it is too late,” said Sergeant Anderson.

“We don’t want to knock on your door to tell you that your child has been injured or killed because another parent or guardian was not obeying the road rules,” he said.

ACT Policing is reminding motorists that 40km/h speed limits will be enforced in school zones for the start of the new school term today (Monday, April 30).

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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buzz8199:36 pm 01 May 12

snoopydoc said :

Yes, the school zones should be enthusiastically enforced.

I do wonder about the need for 40kph zones around secondary colleges in the ACT, though. If you’re 15-18 years old and can’t figure out how to cross a road safely… well… maybe natural selection should be allowed to take its course? 🙂

I think it is because a lot of secondary colleges these days also have younger student’s going to them as well, Lake Tuggeranong and Ginninderra both do Year 9 and 10 programs, Copland has year 7-10 students as well as 11 and 12, Darra, Eddies, St Claires, Radford are all 7-12.

I think instead of going through and finding only colleges that are 11 and 12 , they just put a blanket speed limit on it.

snoopydoc9:03 pm 01 May 12

Yes, the school zones should be enthusiastically enforced.

I do wonder about the need for 40kph zones around secondary colleges in the ACT, though. If you’re 15-18 years old and can’t figure out how to cross a road safely… well… maybe natural selection should be allowed to take its course? 🙂

HenryBG11:14 am 30 Apr 12

Watson said :

People speeding through school zones and parking dangerously near schools are the scum of the earth and should be sent to gulag to be re-educated!

The problem is this: the police take the trouble to come out and patrol the drop-off area, and the usual drop-kick selfish moron parents do their usual illegal parking, driving the wrong way down a one-way street, and so forth, and all the cops ever do is warn them and move them on.

So people know the worst that can happen is they have to move their car, on the rare chance a policeman happens to be there.

They need to throw the book at these people: write them a ticket for whichever infringement they can incur, then haul them out of their car and give the car a thorough inspection, then give the driver a breathtest for good measure. Just seeing one person undergo such embarrassment and delay would provide good incentive to other parents from behaving like selfish ***s.

And what is it with w*nkers in 4WDs that they insist on mounting curbs to park illegally on nature strips outside schools? Can we have these morons booked as a matter of priority too, please?

Watson10:49 am 30 Apr 12

I emailed the parking inspectors last term about illegally parked cars obstructing the view near the school. They were out there the next day, booking people! So if the selfish parents who think they can park anywhere because their child is spushial make your blood boil every morning, call traffic operations and they will at least collect some taxes from them and possibly temporarily deter them from parking dangerously.

I did also write to the police twice requesting for them to come nab all the drivers speeding through our local school zone (also often parents with kids in the back-seat, the mind boggles), but never got a response. But if more people complain, maybe they will monitor these areas more often?

People speeding through school zones and parking dangerously near schools are the scum of the earth and should be sent to gulag to be re-educated!

G-Fresh10:43 am 30 Apr 12

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dvaey9:34 am 30 Apr 12

What are the chances of the blitz on this dangerous behavior continuing once the media and TV cameras have moved onto another story? It seems the only time you’ll get caught speeding in a school zone is the first day of school term, where the police and news presenters decide to setup.

Given how rarely these areas are monitored, is there really any wonder why people are prepared to take the risk? Govco cant even use their lovable speed cameras in these locations either, so the only chance of being caught speeding is if an actual police officer sits there with an actual speed measuring device (ie. pretty damn slim in the ACT).