NORTH BATTLEFORD — With the start of a new school year quickly approaching, City of North Battleford Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are stepping up patrols in school zones to watch for drivers who put students at risk.
Posted speed limits in school zones are reduced to 30 km/h with reminder signage posted in each school zone, notes the city’s Director of Protective Services, Chief Lindsay Holm.
“We have been targeting speeding in the last number of weeks because there are concerning incidents of high speed in 50 km/h zones,” commented Holm.
“With students heading back to school in the city, our Community Safety Officers are going to be heavily patrolling school zone areas to ensure road speeds are kept in check, and to enforce other traffic safety violations like the use of handheld devices and driver compliance with stop signs. Our fire department will also be out in school zones with messaging to remind drivers to slow down.”
To provide perspective and to help understand the dangers of speeding in school zones, North Battleford Comprehensive High School’s school zone is 500 metres in length. When travelling at the posted 30 km/h speed limit, it should take the driver 60 seconds to pass through this school zone. Increasing driving speed to 50km/h through this same zone requires only 36 seconds to travel that same distance – meaning drivers have much less time to react in school zones at increased driving speeds. This is why it is vital drivers obey posted speed limits, especially in school zones.
Transport Canada data indicates that when roads are icy or wet, a driver requires an extra five metres to stop when travelling at 30 km/h. When travelling at 50 km/h, the same driver would need 10 extra metres to stop. Transport Canada also notes that on average, 30 child pedestrians 14 years of age or younger are killed and more than 2,400 are injured, a number of which are in school zones.
The City of North Battleford and CSOs thank community members for their assistance and vigilance in school zone areas. If any unsafe behaviour is observed, the public is encouraged to make a formal complaint to either CSO personnel at 306-445-1775 or the Battlefords RCMP at 306-446-1720.
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