Parking posing safety issue in School Zones

31 Oct 2018 9:24 AM -

All road users are being urged to take care in school zones with increased numbers of parents disobeying No Parking and No Stopping signs.

 “No Parking and No Stopping areas are put in place for safety reasons and should be observed at all times. Drivers dropping off children at or on school crossings or in school bus zones are breaking the law as well as posing a serious risk to their own and other children in the area. These offences also attract heavy fines and loss of demerit points.” Leeton Shire Council Road Safety Officer, Stephanie Puntoriero said.

There is a lot of confusion about No Parking and No Stopping signs within the shire.

No Parking means you can stop for two minutes to either pick up or drop off passengers, but must remain within 3 metres of the car.

No stopping means “no stopping” at any time; not even to quickly pick someone up or drop them off.

Bus Zone means you cannot stop here unless driving a bus.

Hours of operation may apply to some signs. The restrictions apply to the stated times only.

Traffic offences in school zones attract increased fines and demerit points, for example disobeying a No Parking sign in a school zone is a $187 fine and loss of two demerits points, disobeying a No Stopping sign or parking in a bus zone within a school zone incurs a $337 fine and loss of two demerit points.

Mobile Phones in school zones are also becoming a concern in the local area with more and more people seen driving through school zones while talking or texting on their phones. This attracts a $448 fine along with the loss of 5 demerits points.

Mrs Puntoriero is asking drivers to be aware of school zone signs, pay attention to school crossings, to watch out for children and obey the road rules.

 “The safety of children around our schools is a key community concern. One of the

 biggest issues in school zones is drivers not parking safely and causing a hazard to pedestrians around schools,” says Mrs Puntoriero.