Innisfail RCMP members will be out educating drivers about school zone safety this week as local students get set to head back to their classrooms on Thursday.
For most of the month of September, Innisfail RCMP Const. Myles Hayden will be working alongside Innisfail peace officer Ryan Anderson and Alberta Sheriffs to enforce speed limits, seatbelt use and look for distracted drivers in school zones.
“We’re going to blanket the whole area on certain days,” said Hayden.
Const. Rick Buisseret also reminded parents to obey posted traffic signs when dropping off or picking up students at school. A number of prohibited turn signs are posted near school drop-off zones on both 51 Avenue and 52 Avenue. Buisseret said drivers exiting from Innisfail Middle School onto 52 Avenue as well as those exiting the 51 Avenue bus loop are prohibited from turning left.
“I’m really going to be enforcing those,” he said, adding violators could face a fine of $172 for disrupting the flow of traffic. “When you’re leaving you have to turn right.
“It gets so busy that if people are waiting to turn left after they drop their kids off there are two lanes of traffic they have to wait for.”
Hayden added most Innisfail RCMP officers will also be conducting school patrols before, during and after school.
“Our supervisors make sure that’s a priority for us,” said Buisseret, the detachment’s school liaison officer. “Before anything else gets done that day, we’re on the road in the school zones.”
Thursday also marks the start of the RCMP’s distracted driving campaign, Hayden said.
“That will definitely be enforced in school zones,” Hayden said of the new provincial legislation that takes effect Sept. 1.
Buisseret also encouraged students to walk or ride their bikes to school whenever possible to help ease some of the traffic congestion around schools and also to get physically active.
“If they’re riding their bikes and they have their helmets on they can always get a positive ticket for wearing (it),” he said. “If they’re using the crosswalks properly they’ve got a better chance of getting a positive ticket than if they’re sitting in their parent’s car getting a ride to school not being physically active.”
Hayden said officers will also monitor students on the way to school to ensure they are being safe.
“They’ve got to obey the crosswalks because that affects traffic flow,” Hayden said. “They’ve got to be safe. We’re hoping our presence will allow that.”
A parked police car is usually enough to encourage most people to slow down, Buisseret said.
“Just seeing a police car parked there reminds people that you have to pay attention a little more in school zones and playground zones,” he said.
Parents should also plan ahead to drop off their children on time, Buiserret said.
“Leave yourself lots of time and be patient,” he said.
A 30 km/hr speed limit is in effect in school zones from 8 - 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and 3 – 4:30 p.m.
"Our supervisors make sure that's a priority for us. Before anything else gets done that day, we're on the road in the school zones."
Const. Rick Buisseret
Innisfail RCMP
