It was a much smaller crowd than usual at Hillcrest Community School on Tuesday with only members of the Grande Prairie RCMP and City of Grande Prairie Enforcement Services on hand, but AMA Safety Patrollers are once again trained up to keep their fellow students safe in the 2021 school year.
AMA School Safety Patrol Coordinator Shelley Biendarra says the longer than usual break from school zones being in effect is reason enough to use extra caution and to be more mindful than ever around school crossings.
“The patrollers do a wonderful job in making sure the vehicles have stopped and it’s safe for pedestrians to cross the road,” she says.
“They’re visual for the driver, they’re not directing and controlling traffic, but they are visual in making sure it is safe.”
Biendarra says there are some very easy ways for drivers to keep children safe in school zones in addition to watching their speeds. She says having a drop-off routine can make a big difference in making sure you don’t find yourself in a rush.
“For parents bringing their kids to school, instead of congesting the school zone, maybe park around the block and walk the kids into school so it’s not so congested,” she adds.
As of Monday, August 30th, all school zones in Grande Prairie have speed limits of 30 kilometres per hour from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on school days.
