School zone speed limits now in effect
Back to school time is here and earlier this week school speed zones came into effect meaning that residents will likely see children making their way to school. With so many kids in our region taking the bus again this year, the Selkirk Record chatted with Joey Turek, Manager of Transportation for the Lord Selkirk School Division to discuss ways that drivers, parents and students can make getting to school safer this year.
Since students in the the Lord Selkirk School Division bus from as far north as Victoria Beach as well as from the RMs of St. Andrews and St. Clements, school bus safety is something that no matter where you live in our region, you’re likely to need to be informed about.
“The biggest [violation committed by drivers that bus drivers see] is the infraction of them going through our stop arms, the stop signs when we’re loading and unloading,” said Turek.
The school division does have cameras on its buses and does refer these infractions to the RCMP.
“Typically, our drop-offs are no longer than 25 seconds. Just wait and stop. There’s no point. You’re not gaining anything by going through a stop arm and there’s so much potential there for harm for these little kids getting off,” said Turek.
He also wants to remind people that the stop sign isn’t just important to look out for by schools as it’s used in rural communities and on all types of roads including highways. It needs to be respected wherever kids are dropped off or picked up from.
With the flipping of the calendar, drivers will also be required to look out for school speed zones which came into effect a few days ago.
“It just becomes kind of a patience thing, right? We do see some of the same cars. We’re typically on a lot of people’s commute. You leave work and come home at the same time and so does the bus every day,” said Turek.
Because our region encompasses some more rural areas, just short of 60 per cent of students who attend the LSSD take the bus and there are a whopping 47 bus routes that are travelled twice a school day by students and bus drivers.
Parents will likely already know the basics of their bus’s routines, but Turek’s tips include getting to the bus early.
“This is both for parents and kids. We typically remind families again this time of year to be at their stop five minutes prior to the bus getting there, just so they’re ready to go on when the bus does roll up. When they get on, all the students should definitely already know the rules of the bus with regards to eating and drinking on the bus, and staying seated. Another good one [to remember] is the seating plan that the bus driver will go over in the first couple of weeks of school. Each student does have an assigned seat for safety reasons,” said Turek.
Parents, of course, are partners with LSSD employees when it comes to maintaining a space where kids are safe and know what is expected of them. Turek explained that bus drivers can face similar situations to teachers in classrooms and parents chatting to their kids about expectations can be helpful.
“The bus can get loud with kids either standing up or getting up out of their seats, drinking on the bus or eating on the bus. Those are rules that we have in place for the safety of everybody. And, at the end of the day, when the volume gets too loud or the bus gets rambunctious, it is very distracting for the bus driver. And that’s our biggest concern when we’re barreling down Highway 59 or any of these highways going 80-90 kilometers an hour. With a distracted driver that can lead to incidents, right? We’re really trying to curb some of the behaviours that we’ve seen on the bus, and parents can reiterate to their kids that it should be no different than the classroom where everyone stays in their seats and it’s quiet. That allows the bus drivers to stay focused,” said Turek.
He explained that safety is the number one priority and if everyone works together we can have a safer community for all.
“My most important job here is to make sure that all the students get to school safely each and every day. It starts at our office here and with every single bus driver that is our main goal. If the public can help us be as safe as they can. We have procedures and things that we do to keep the kids safe, and as long as everyone is doing their part in the community, then we shouldn’t have any problems,” said Turek.
