Back to class means return to school zone speed limits

With school back in session Tuesday, it’s time to slow down again when driving through school zones in Saskatoon.

The 30 kilometre per hour speed limit went back in effect across the city Saturday, however police will be increasing enforcement this week to catch heavy foot drivers.

Staff Sergeant Patrick Barbar said most tickets handed out in the first week are from people who forget what time of year it is.

“People get caught off guard, especially people without kids. They didn’t realize the school zone had started or whatever their reason is.”

Barbar explains, fines start at $270 and go up from there.

“Once you hit the 30 km range, your now looking at a fine of $350.

School zones are enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday until June.

It is important to note that the roll out signs placed in the middle of the road closer to schools are not the start and end points of the school zone.

School zones begin at the 30 km/h sign and end at the sign indicating a higher speed limit.

Regina looks at change

In Regina, the speed limit in school zones is currently 40 km/h every day of the year between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

A report by the Regina Traffic Zone Safety Committee is recommending recommended switching the school zone speed limits to 30 km/h to be more consistent with other jurisdictions across North America.

If the proposal is approved by council in October, the lower speed limit would take effect for the next school year in the fall of 2019.

Enforcement and stats

September marks the start of SGI’s province-wide traffic safety blitz on school zones. While the rules may vary between cities, police forces across the province will be focusing on enforcing those school zone speed limits.

In the latest numbers available from SGI, there were 18,393 convictions for Saskatchewan drivers speeding through school zones in 2017.

Photo radar tickets made up the majority of those with 14,703. This still marked a significant decrease from 2016, when SGI recorded 20,451 speeding convictions in school zones, including 17,283 photo radar tickets.

Between 2011 and 2017, 15 school-aged children were injured in crashes in school zones.