C.B.S., RNC partner on school safety initiative
Safety comes at a price, and for drivers in the C.B.S. area, that price could be steep if they fail to follow the rules of the road.
The RNC and the Town of Conception Bay South are teaming up on an initiative to stop excessive speeding, distracted driving and motorists passing school buses that are stopped throughout the community.
“It is important to remind people that speeding in these zones is an issue,” C.B.S. Mayor Terry French said Monday during the blitz’s kickoff at Topsail Elementary School.
“We all live busy lives and all get distracted and life takes us in many directions,” he added.
French said C.B.S. has increased signage throughout all school zones, has added radar speed displays and has installed pedestrian-activated traffic lights over the past 12 months.
Following the rules — especially Tuesday night, as children will be out celebrating Halloween — is paramount, but also throughout the community and near its nine schools. French hopes drivers heed the warnings being issued by the town and the RNC.
“For weeks and months we have been working on a campaign to get people to stop passing school buses and to slow down in school zones,” RNC communications officer Const. Geoff Higdon said Monday.
“People are still not getting the message.”
Higdon said the RNC is happy to partner with the Town of C.B.S. to enforce school zone laws and clamp down on dangerous driving in these areas.
He said there are far too many incidences of distracted driving, speeding and motorists passing school buses, and if people are not getting the message, the next step is to stop those drivers and strictly enforce the laws.
Drivers and pedestrians both have a responsibility to respect the rules of the road and be mindful of one another, he said.
“All schools are the same. For 10-15 minutes each morning there is a mini traffic bomb,” said Roger Deveaux, vice-principal at Topsail Elementary School.
“People have to give themselves enough time to get where they are going. This is huge for safety and for drivers to be aware of the rules.”
During bad weather traffic increases around the school, and becomes an additional cause for concern by school staff, Deveaux said, explaining that on nice days students take the bus, while during bad weather parents tend to drive their children to school.
Deveaux said getting the message out is a collaborative effort starting at the school by informing pupils’ parents about traffic issues through the school’s newsletter, phone calls and constant reminders while talking with parents on school property.