The City of Burnaby’s decision to extend school zone speed limit times by six hours a day earlier this year didn’t deter some drivers from speeding through school zones even during regular school hours this week.
On Thursday, the second full day of the school year, police caught 92 drivers speeding past seven local schools.
Officers issued only a handful of tickets and sent the rest of the drivers off with a warning, according to the Burnaby RCMP.
But spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj warned that police will be out enforcing school zone speed limits “on a regular basis.”
“As kids get used to their own back-to-school routines this September, we are also asking drivers to adjust their own driving habits,” he said in an email to the NOW.
He noted the 30 km/h school zone speed limit is in effect near Burnaby schools from 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Acting on requests from the school district and the city’s parks, recreation and culture commission, city council passed a bylaw in March extending the hours, which used to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days.
About 600 signs were put up within a few days to mark the change, according to city communications manager Chris Bryan.
The city also announced it would install 36 speed humps near city schools and another 36 near local parks.
Over the summer, the city installed a total of 16 speed humps at five locations: Aubrey Elementary, Capitol Hill Elementary, Capitol Hill Reservoir Park, Gilpin Elementary and Parkcrest School Park, Bryan said.
He said the city has completed a review of all locations where the 30km/h speed zone is in effect and has prioritized another 68 locations to be completed over the next five years as part of the city’s capital projects program.
“By supplementing the 30km/h zones with speed humps, the city expects to see improved compliance with the regulation,” Bryan said in an emailed statement. “This will be verified by before and after studies, or by comparative studies moving forward.”
This article has been changed. The original said Burnaby RCMP doesn’t track school zone data. The detachment has since clarified that it does track information about tickets in schools zones.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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