SASKATOON — Combined personnel from the City of Saskatoon's Parking Services and the Saskatoon Police Service monitored the traffic situation on the streets near Chief Whitecap School and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School as students returned to classes on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Chief Whitecap and St. Kateri have a combined student population of over 2,000, who either take the buses or are dropped off and picked up by their parents, not including the teachers and personnel of both schools. Traffic is always heavy around both schools during the morning drop-offs and the afternoon pickups.
Parking Services Manager Wayne Sum said they remind drivers to prioritize safety over convenience for the entire school year. Motorists who parked in bus loading and unloading zones and fire lanes and disobeyed school zone laws were cited.
"Please don't stop in bus zones, even if it's convenient. Please don't stop in accessible stalls reserved for accessible users. Most importantly, please don't stop or park in front of crosswalks that are 15 meters approaching and 10 meters departing," said Sum.
Sgt. Ken Kane added that one of the issues they always encounter is motorists not following the school zone speed limit, which is yearlong, of 30 kilometres per hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily after the City Council voted to implement the rule starting on Sept. 1, 2022.
"The second major offence we see [are motorists making] U-turns in school zones. [Making] U-turns anywhere within a school zone are prohibited. These rules exist for the safety of the children. We ask people to adhere to those rules, making it safe for everyone," said Kane.
"Trying to unload and load almost 2,000 students every day safely, you can imagine there's lots of traffic congestion. So, our best advice is to plan to leave early, park in the neighbourhood or drop off in the designated zones," said Kane.
"Follow the rules so everybody can safely get into their school and back out at the end of the day. Have a routine for where you're going to drop them, let them understand to use the sidewalks and the crosswalks so they can safely get into school."
Speeding fines in a school zone start at $240 and go up by $2 for every kilometre you exceed the limit. Double parking in school zones and making U-turns could also give you a ticket that costs $700 to $1,000 in fines.
"The reason we're here is just a friendly reminder that the rules still exist and to get into a routine where you're following the rules, and that way, everyone's safe getting their child into school," said Kane.
"We have our school resource officers, where I work, and also our traffic section available to do that. But we have numerous schools in the city, so often, we're complaint-driven. We try to be proactive and remind parents to adhere to the rules. The rules exist so that the kids are safe."
Sum said they worked closely with the school boards of SPS and GSCS to get the message out to the students to take crosswalks and the teachers to assist the parents, especially during school openings, on where to park and where they are supposed to stop.
"Being the first day of school, we understand there's going to be a bit of anxiety [to new students]. I'm sure they'll be more confident throughout the school year as they get a little more comfortable. We are in touch with both school boards here," said Sum.
"We have communication processes with them where principals can request enforcement. We come as needed here to various schools throughout the Saskatoon area. We support them in trying to help educate individuals as they stack and park and the different explorers."
