Thousands of Calgary students headed back to school on Tuesday and motorists are being reminded to slow down in and around playground zones.
There are more than 1600 playground zones in the city and the maximum speed permitted is 30 km/h from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Passing in playground zones is also not permitted during this time.
The AMA Foundation for Traffic Safety says 29 percent of Albertans continue to speed through playground zones even though 95 percent say it's not acceptable.
“Kids are excited. They’re happy to be back to school and they may not be paying attention so we need to make sure we’re taking our time in the playground zones, watching, making sure the kids are getting back to school safely today,” said Lisa Nowlin-Clayton, Coordinator of AMA’s School Safety Patrol Program. “The difference between 30 km/h and 50 km/h in a collision could be the difference between a minor incident and a fatality for a child.”
“The kids are always excited right? It’s a new adventure for them, now they’re big kids, in school full-time, it’s exciting,” said Pamela Glover, Grade one/two teacher.
Officials are urging people to slow down and to keep an eye out for patrollers who are helping others cross the street.
“They volunteer because they take pride in being on patrols and to help their community, help the other students. They find it to be good role models in their schools and enjoy helping,” said Cheryl Mattinson, Grade 6 teacher at St. Patrick School.
“They’re happy to be involved with the program, they’re very proud of what they do and they know that they’re doing a community service for their schools,” said Nowlin-Clayton.
Nowlin-Clayton says pedestrians also need to pay attention to what is going on around them.
“When you’re at a crosswalk, make sure you stop, look in all directions, make sure you know that the driver has stopped before you go across the street, make sure you stay safe,” she said.
The AMA also suggests dropping off kids a few blocks away from the school to avoid congestion around main entrances.
“In front of the school there’s a ton of congestion so one of the things we’re asking adults to do is, maybe come a little bit earlier, it’s okay to park a little further away from the school, the kids can walk into the school. Take that little bit of extra time,” said Nowlin-Clayton.
Calgary police are advising parents of children who are attending school for the first time to ensure that the child knows their full name, address and the phone number of a parent or care giver.
For more information on playground zones near schools, click HERE.
