Back-to-school brings school zone speed limits in Saskatoon

School zones are in effect beginning Tuesday morning as students head back to class.

Drivers are reminded that speed limits in schools zones around Saskatoon are 30 kilometres per hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

School zones are in effect Sept. 1 to June 30. They remain in effect during statutory holidays and school breaks.

The speed limit is designed to give drivers more time to react and brake in an emergency, according to the City of Saskatoon.

“Twelve seconds is all the additional time it takes to drive through a school zone at 30 km/h instead of 50 km/h. A child’s safety is worth more than 12 seconds,” Jay Magus, engineering manager for transportation with the City of Saskatoon said in a media release.

A fine for speeding in a school zone starts at $192 and demerit points.

Last year, 3,061 drivers were caught speeding through school zones and there were 10 collisions, resulting in four injuries, according to SGI.

Drivers are also being reminded that neither U-turns nor stopping or parking in a school bus loading zone are not allowed.

There is photo radar rotating in five school zones:

• St. Michael Community School, 33rd Street East
• École Henry Kelsey School, Valens Drive
• Brownell/St. Angela, Russell Road
• École Canadienne-Française, Albert Avenue (zone on Clarence Avenue between 3rd and 5th Streets)
• Mother Teresa/Silverspring, Konihowski Road