" School Zone " Speed Limits !

It seemed a good safety idea to limit the speed of traffic near school entrances where kids concentrate at the start and finish of the school day.  The only problem seems to be getting drivers to obey that forty kph speed limit.

New South Wales is the only state to have backed school zone speed restrictions with a combination of flashing light speed limiting signs and what are called " Dragon's teeth " road markings to alert drivers and yet these zones are still constantly disobeyed.  The state has installed 127 fixed speed cameras to calm traffic and of these  57 are in school zones and the heavy fines and loss of demerit points automatically apply to offenders..

One of the areas of confusion is that school speed zones only apply when schools are active and the school year is heavily divided with a number of long school holidays and there is a curious application of restrictions on days when schools have what are called " pupil free days ".  Only teachers are attending school and the pupils are still on holiday, and yet speed restrictions are still enforced.

Fine analysis delivers some interesting statistics.  On an average school day 8.8 percent of the traffic stream is travelling above that 40 kph speed limit, but on the first week of resumption after school holidays that jumps to 15.5 percent and only reduces to 14.1 percent in the second week.  It seems that only drivers with school kids in their families are aware of the timing of school holidays.

Another peculiar anomaly is that often the speeding car is driven by a parent either dropping their kids off at school or arriving to collect them after and that car will also ignore both parking and stopping restrictions that apply as school safety measures.  The very people who should be most aware of school safety are often the worst offenders.

A lot of people take issue with the timing of school area restrictions.  That one hour and a half  between 8 and 9-30 generally covers when kids arrive  at school but most schools cease at 12 noon on some days with the afternoon given to sport.   That is not a school activity, hence the kids either go home or attend a distant sporting venue.  There is also wide variation in timing during that 2-30 to 4 pm restricted speed when it comes to school closure.   It seems to be a " one size fits all "  timing that seems to apply.

We are fast reaching the stage where the accessories in modern cars include communication equipment capable of alerting drivers to speed restrictions that apply in their immediate location.. Perhaps those afternoon restrictions need to apply to the timing applicable to individual schools. Then those flashing warning lights would have the degree of urgency that drivers would heed.