Back to School
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 Zone times for urban areas are in effect from 7:30 to 21:00 hours, seven days a week. If the roadway has more than one lane of travel in one 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, especially young children, as understandably they are excited to be back at school to see old friends and make new ones.
As a parent we also must be aware of congested roads around the schools. Some safe habits when dropping kids off are:
1) Don’t block peoples’ driveways
2) Don’t block the entrance to the school staffs parking lot
3) Don’t block crosswalks (must be five meters away from marked crosswalk lines and their signs)
4) Watch out for school patrols and teaching staff as they are making the crosswalks safe for your kids and others
5) Don’t double park to drop off kids
6) Use designated crosswalks (no jaywalking across the roadway)
7) Try parking two blocks away and walking with your kids to school
8) Leave home with lots of time before the bell
Pedestrian Safety
As a pedestrian, always remember you will lose the battle against a motor vehicle even if you’re in the right.
A crosswalk is defined as a location for a pedestrian to cross a roadway safely and where a motorist would also expect to see a pedestrian. Not every intersection is a crosswalk. A crosswalk can be marked with painted white lines, may have hatch marks, and can be signed with either a white or fluorescent backed sign. An unmarked crosswalk is established only by a break or curb of the roadway.
At a “T” intersection the only crosswalk is the section of roadway that is a curb edge to curb edge, no curb edge to straight unbroken curb.
As pedestrians, don’t assume that a motorist sees you, keep your head on a swivel and continue to look at motorists. Also, when you come up to the crosswalk, don’t just walk out thinking that the vehicles will stop, give the motorist time to see you and to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.
In regard to crosswalk signals, the legal time for a pedestrian to cross on a walk signal is when the little white man is present. When the flashing red hand starts, and the counter is counting down, it is illegal for you to cross. Fines for interfering with vehicles, crossing at a location other then a crosswalk, and crossing when a traffic signal says not to start at $81.
Keep your head up when crossing the street, don’t have it buried in your phone.
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