Speeding through school zones

[KL3-Something]

It is unfortunate that people use the word fool to try to denigrate those who simply disagree with them.

School holidays that fall on a different day or during a different time period each year, like Easter holidays (other than Easter Sunday and Easter Monday) or Teacher Development Days, have always posed a problem. Up until recently, for the purpose of enforcing School Zone Speed Laws, such days were considered days when school was normally in session because they were not set days from year to year.

According to the announcement released a few weeks back on local radio, the School Zone Speed Laws apparently are still considered to apply to such days but as they have for years, the police simply do not enforce them since the intent of the law is lacking when children are not actually in session.

Under the MVA additional leeway has apparently been given local Administrators to extend the hours during which they apply to match activities at the school.

Still no link, huh?

Allow me to help settle this debate with some case law

https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcpc/doc/2 ... ultIndex=1

It's not a long read, but if you're in a hurry, skip to paragraphs 11 and 12.

[Donald G]

Your efforts are appreciated KL-3 something.

If I am reading the case law right it would appear that there is an onus on the part of drivers to know which Winter Break and Spring Break days have been identified by any given School District as being days when teachers are required or not required to make themselves available in order to determine which days are "normal school days".

Are you aware if their is any case law dealing specifically with the issue of dates that change from year to year such as Easter and Easter break ??

[KL3-Something]

Your efforts are appreciated KL-3 something.

If I am reading the case law right it would appear that there is an onus on the part of drivers to know which Winter Break and Spring Break days have been identified by any given School District as being days when teachers are required or not required to make themselves available in order to determine which days are "normal school days".

Are you aware if their is any case law dealing specifically with the issue of dates that change from year to year such as Easter and Easter break ??

I think that's where paragraph 12 comes in.

Stats are not regular school days. No school zone speeds on those days. I, however, still use an abundance of caution and travel less than the speed limit because there is still a significant chance that there will be children coming and going from the school grounds/playground.

[Dizzy1]

Allow me to help settle this debate with some case law

https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcpc/doc/2 ... ultIndex=1

It's not a long read, but if you're in a hurry, skip to paragraphs 11 and 12.

Thank you. I was going to post the same case but from a different source but I wanted to see if Donald would have found it first ...

http://drivesmartbc.ca/rules-road/drive ... ummer-time

[Dizzy1]

it would appear that there is an onus on the part of drivers to know which Winter Break and Spring Break days

You think? Thats part of being a responsible driver. The information is posted on any SD website.

[GordonH]

I travel thru 2 School zone pretty regularly St. Josephs on Sutherland & Raymer on Richter, for the most part drivers on Sutherland do obey school zone (mostly like due to its more of a side street, even though it is pretty busy).

Raymer no were near as well (many travel thru faster then posted speed), many times when School are out during the school year I see many neighbourhood kids (I assume they are from the neighbourhood) playing in playground and field. So treat Raymer as playground as well a school.

In my personal opinion some schools should have both the school zone signs as well playground signs. Since many are used on non-school days as neighbourhood playgrounds.

[Dizzy1]

In my personal opinion some schools should have both the school zone signs as well playground signs. Since many are used on non-school days as neighbourhood playgrounds.

I mentioned this a few years ago on these boards and I got a lot of flack for even suggesting it - but here goes ;)

Just follow Europe's lead - playgrounds and school zones 30km/h, 24/7, 365 days a year. No confusion and no 4 page threads on reading ones interpretations of the rules.

[GordonH]

In my personal opinion some schools should have both the school zone signs as well playground signs. Since many are used on non-school days as neighbourhood playgrounds.

I mentioned this a few years ago on these boards and I got a lot of flack for even suggesting it - but here goes ;)

Just follow Europe's lead - playgrounds and school zones 30km/h, 24/7, 365 days a year. No confusion and no 4 page threads on reading ones interpretations of the rules.

Exactly, no flack from me.

[Glacier]

Some people live in Kelowna and work in Vernon (or vice-versa). It is important for them to know that Kelowna's spring break is out of whack from most of the rest of the province in that it started a week early.

[nikonfan]

Like most traffic laws they all have an origin from a long time past when things were so different. I think the entire law could use some updating. 1. New schools should never be built on major arteries like Gordon or Glenmore it just slows down traffic flow. 2. 60% of the day there is no reason to slow down because the kids are in school. 3, Why are week nights And week ends not included? There are soccer games, band nights, sports and whatever.
I think all school zones should be marked by programable flashing lights. When the kids are coming to school in the am from 7-8:30 the light is flashing and you had better slow down but from 8:30 - 12:00 & 1:30 - 3:30 (or whatever time schools let out) How many kids use the cross walk? If someone needs to leave for a doc appointment or school closes early the office has a switch and the light goes on. If there is a band concert or volleyball game that night the office can enter the times in the flashing light computer to go off from 7pm to 9 pm.. The same could be done for Saturday soccer games. There are way better ways for this issues. What pisses people off is going through at 10 am and you are crawling at 30 km and there is no kid to be seen and at the same time cars racing through the very same intersection on Saturday with all the munchkin soccer players playing chicken with the cars just because it's Saturday. This makes no sense to me at all!
We are so bound by the archaic laws that even if they make no sense at all we jus g along with it like a bunch of lemmings. There are s many better ways to do things!

[Bpeep]

When I was a kid there were no speed reductions in school zones. One kid got hit by a car and broke a few bones. That single event permanently taught 150 kids in that school not to dart out into traffic.
Instead, we waited by the roadside till traffic cleared before we crossed. Traffic flowed freely.
Waiting in the leaded gas smogged air reduced our learning abilities and as a result the odd kid had to repeat a grade. Now they fail nobody.
So I guess we can credit school zones and unleaded gasoline for our 100% non failure rates.

Its grate too no that allot of kids now-a-days our litterite.
Hour future liberal leeders.

[Donald G]

Unread postby Bman » 2 minutes ago

When I was a kid there were no speed reductions in school zones.

I was going to make a comment about the speed of non motorized vehicles back when you were in school Bman, but I refrained. lol

[Bpeep]

No need to mock me coz I grew up with the amish.

I can build a hayshed in an hour.
Nailess. Mortise and tenon joints. Measured with horse mane and hacked out by hand with a sliver of obsidian.

[Donald G]

Unread postby Bman » 6 minutes ago

No need to mock me coz I grew up with the amish.

Was it not the Amish that started racing their buggies down the road to the Church on Sunday ?? When they built a school between the village and the church speeding past the school necessitated School Zone Speed Signs being erected ??

The young guys were probably just trying to impress you by speeding past the school Bman. lol

[GordonH]

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