Back to School – Calgary Police September Message
That special time of year is back. Parents celebrate that they will have a few hours of the day where the home is quiet, and they can enjoy a coffee without interruption.
Since Alberta has no more School Zones, they are all Playground Zones, and they may not have a school attached. Playground times for urban areas are in affect from 0730-2100 hrs. seven days a week. If the roadway has more then one lane of travel in the direction a motor vehicle shall not pass another, unless that vehicle is turning, also the max speed limit is 30 km/h.
As drivers, we must watch out for pedestrians using crosswalks and even more so young children as understandably they are excited to be back at school to see old and make new friends.
As a parent we also must be aware of congested roads around the schools. Some safe habits when dropping kids off are:
- Don’t block peoples’ driveways
- Don’t block the entrance to the school staffs parking lot
- Don’t block crosswalks (must be 5 meters away from marked crosswalk lines and their signs)
- Watch out for school patrols and teaching staff as they are making the crosswalks safe for your kids and others
- Don’t double park to drop off kids
- Use designated crosswalks (no jaywalking across the roadway)
- Maybe park 2 blocks away and walk with your kids to school
- Leave home with lots of time before the bell